


Winx: The First Year

by ImhereforMR



Category: Winx Club
Genre: Mentions of Sex, Multi, Musa swears a lot, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Possible Smut Eventually, Rewrite, Season 1, and swear, and the trix, depends how you choose to see it, less focus on Bloom, more focus on friendships, or more equal focus on the others, so does Riven, sorry about Flora, they have friends outside of the main group, they talk like teenagers!, trying to make Sky more likable, winx povs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 157,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImhereforMR/pseuds/ImhereforMR
Summary: A young girl discovers she has magical powers and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, where she makes new friends and discovers a whole new world.Find me on tumblr @imhereformr
Relationships: Bloom/Sky (Winx Club), Brandon/Stella (Winx Club), Musa/Riven (Winx Club), Tecna/Timmy (Winx Club)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 47





	1. It Feels Like Magic

**Author's Note:**

> So over the quarantine, I've been re-watching Winx club, as well as reading a lot of fanfic. The thing that I've realised is that I wish Winx were aimed at a slightly higher age group and included a few more things so I've decided to take up the challenge. I hope to write quite a bit over the quarantine so hopefully I can get quite a lot of the story out.
> 
> A few things:
> 
> 1\. I will be following the 4kids dub for dialogue, but making a few modifications of my own to make the Winx sound more like normal teens. This will include swearing and suggestive topics. Teens talk about sex. It's normal. I'm not going to be gross about it though.
> 
> 2\. While I will be following 4 kids dialogue, some details may be switched around with the Rai version. For example:
> 
> A. Musa will be a princess (I feel like I can play the musaxriven relationship much more if they're in such different classes), but of Melody simply cause I don't like the name "Harmonic Nebula"
> 
> B. Bloom will be the princess of Domino. Sparx sounds too simplistic.
> 
> C. Aisha (when she's introduced next season) will be called Aisha and she will be from Andros
> 
> 3\. I want to explore characters besides Bloom. I know she's the main character and that's why the show focuses on her so much but it drives me nuts. She drives me nuts. That being said, I will try to keep an objective perspective about her.
> 
> 4\. I want to explore inter-character relationships a lot more. Especially the male/female ones. It annoys me that the only m/f relationships you really see are the romantic ones. I am 100% here for Musa and Brandon having movie nights where they throw popcorn at each other and make corny jokes or a Flora/Riven friendship where he feels strangely comfortable opening up to her because she's just so easy to talk to and nonjudgmental
> 
> 5\. I want to explore romantic relationships outside of Bloom and Sky's. I feel like a lot of layers are missing in the Timmy/Tecna relationship and especially in the Musa/Riven one. How can you have such a messy couple and have so little layering of their relationship? (If you couldn't tell by my name, I am a MxR shipper so I'll definitely be building more on them)
> 
> 6\. I want to include extra scenes of the characters down time. I feel like a big piece was missed by only showing story related scenes that drive the action. The show needs a lot more character development
> 
> 7\. Characters will be changing appearances a bit more in my story. I want to have Stella in *gasp* sweats and Musa with her hair down (I love her. I hate those stupid pigtails. She's sixteen not six!). Also the boys will not be wearing crop tops. There's nothing wrong with guys wearing crop tops, but the guys just really do not seem like the type of people that would.
> 
> I don't know yet if I want to have any X rated scenes down the line, but if I do decide to put some in there will be a big bold warning at the top of the chapter as well as an in scene warning if you'd like to skip over it.
> 
> This first chapter is pretty verbatim since there's not a whole lot of playing room. Although I did opt not to include the scenes of Knut talking to the Trix or hunting Bloom down with the troll.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it :)

Bloom rode her bike through the streets of Gardenia, California, humming a happy tune. It was a warm, sunny day and she intended to make the most of it. Kiko, her pet bunny, and very best friend, rode along in the basket of her bike. As she sped along, she waved to neighbours and friends. Her family was well known and liked in their small town. Her mother, Vanessa, owned the local flower shops, and, though many tried to surpass her over the years, it remained the go-to shop for any occasion. Her father, Mike, was a fireman and had helped countless members of their community.

She saw Gardenia park before her - a perfect place to stop and relax. It was the largest park in the whole town, taking up almost a third of the space. It featured a large man-made lake in the center and had many areas that were nothing but trees, as well as several small parks, two skate parks, a basketball court, baseball diamond and a tennis court. Bloom stopped just outside one of the clearings where she was surrounded by trees. She'd not go to the clearing as those were usually filled with people and she just wanted to relax right now. Hopping off her bike, she made her way to the closest tree. "Go find an acorn, Kiko, and I'll toss it around with you" she said to the small blue bunny as he jumped out of the basket.

No sooner had she sat down to eat her apple did she see Kiko running back. He looked shaken. "What? Did you see one of those scary squirrels again?" she teased. He was not having it. The bunny tugged at her pant leg, desperate to show her what he'd seen. After a few tugs, she relented.

Kiko led her to a nearby clearing. Bloom noted that it was surprisingly deserted for such a nice day. She was about to make a joke, but got distracted when she saw what Kiko was pulling her towards. She ducked behind a tree to get a better look.

A blonde woman was fighting ... dogs? No, not dogs. They looked much scarier, and like they were made of shadows. Blooms eyes were stuck on the creatures. What were they? She could only describe them as something from a nightmare.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard the blonde yell at them to get back. That's when she properly noticed the woman - she was no ordinary woman. She wore her hair in two low pigtails, and despite the ongoing fight, there was not a hair out of place. She wore a sparkly orange one shoulder crop top and tiny matching shorts (could you even call them shorts?). Her boots were the same shade of orange, but lacked the shine. In her hand, she held a scepter, made of a light blue material that matched the cuffs on her arms. But her outfit wasn't what caught Bloom's attention. It was her back that did. Or, more specifically, what she had on her back. Wings!

Another shout by the blond brought Bloom back to the situation.

A light shone from the blonds hand and the creatures fell back. What the fuck was happening? Was this girl a fairy? How is that possible?

The light died down and Bloom could just make out the shape of a... what was that? It was huge, easily 300 lbs and wore overalls, no shirt, and no shoes. The creature groaned, obviously annoyed that the blond had defeated some of the shadow creatures. Ghouls, Bloom thought she had heard the blonde call them. She looked over at Kiko. "We can't both be seeing things, can we?"

The blonde began to glow. Her scepter hit the ground, causing a small shake and knocking the ghouls back. One was caught by the large creature, who proceeded to give it a squeeze and then it... disappeared?

Angered by the turn of events, the large creature stepped forward to attack the young woman. Bloom got a good look at him and boy was he ugly. His skin was yellow and he had a huge head with tiny little eyes which were covered with thick, brown eyebrows. His small, pointy nose wasn't much bigger than his eyes. His ears were so small that Bloom almost thought he didn't have ears. His mouth was truly the defining feature - it was so large that he could probably eat the blond woman in one quick bite. A scruffy beard framed his square jaw. He had to be an ogre, Bloom thought, remembering the stories she'd read as a child.

"News flash Mr. Hideous" said the fairy "the power of Solaria is so gonna flatten you"

"You're the one who's gonna get flattened" roared the ogre as he charged towards the blond. He hit her square in the chest, causing her to fly back and land with a thud a few feet away.

"That's gotta hurt" muttered Bloom.

The blonde sat up, using her elbows to support her. The ogre laughed as the ghouls approached her.

"You're finished little fairy girl" laughed the ogre. "Now ghouls, bring me her scepter!"

The ghouls sped up, grabbing at the fairy's arms and legs. "I'm warning you! You'll never get away with this" she cried before one of the ghouls wrapped its arm over her mouth.

"I think I just did" replied the ogre, grabbing the scepter from one of the ghouls. "Your scepter's ours!" he laughed, "and you're history"

Bloom couldn't believe what was happening. The ogre was winning! How was that possible? The bad guy never won in the books she'd read. She had to do something! "Leave her alone! Come get me" she yelled, jumping out of her hiding spot behind the trees. Then reality hit her "wait, did I just say that?"

"You sure did" the ogre replied, turning his back on the blonde and staring straight at Bloom. Oh God, what had she done? She couldn't fight!

The ogre let out an angry roar.

"You should learn to mind your own business" he said. In one quick swoop, he had grabbed her by the arms and was dangling her one foot off the ground.

"Let go!" Bloom screamed. She may not be a fairy, but she was never one to go down without a fight. A power surged in her that she had never felt before, and before she knew what was happening, a bright light emanated from her. The monster was pushed back, letting Bloom go. She wouldn't know this, but her body had heated up to a point where the monster was forced to let her go unless he wanted to risk severe burns.

She opened her eyes, happy to see that she landed on her feet. She was not so happy, however, to see ghouls rushing towards her. "Get back" she screamed, thrusting out her arm to hold off the ghouls. Again, she felt that power surge in her. Whatever it was had pushed the ghouls back.

"What just happened?" Bloom asked no one in particular. "How'd I do that?"

Her moment of confusion passed when she saw a ghoul approaching Kiko, who was doing the cutest celebratory dance. Thinking quickly, she picked up a thick branch that was on the ground.

"Hey ghoul" she said, tapping it on the shoulder to grab its attention. "Take off!" She brought the branch up and swung at the ghoul, sending him flying.

The blonde picked up her scepter and walked over to the red head that had helped her. "Wow! You've got winx, girl. Major winx!" she said.

The redhead, who had leaned over in an attempt to straighten out her head, looked up at her in confusion. "What? Me? What do you mean?"

Their conversation was quickly interrupted when they heard a cackling laugh behind them. The blonde turned on her heels and gave the ogre a once over.

"Laugh all you want, fashion fiasco. You're going down" said the fairy. A bright light shone from the end of her scepter. It flashed at the monster, sending him flying. "I suggest you, like, get out of our realm now"

"Watch it" yelled Bloom. Ghouls were approaching, but the blonde didn't seem too worried by them. With a cry, she created more light, pushing the ghouls back into a nearby tree. They landed in a pile, and disappeared. The blonde gave a little giggle and a twirl of her scepter.

She hadn't gotten all the ghouls, though. One grabbed on to Bloom's pants. She swiftly kicked it off, but it ripped part of her pant off before returning to the monster's side.

"We'll meet again Princess Stella" said the ogre before disappearing in a burst of purple light.

"Ew... can't say I'm looking forward to that" deadpanned Stella before passing out. She hit the ground with a light thud, and began to glow. Her outfit changed in a flash of light. What had been a very orange crop top and booty shorts became a very orange crop top and maxi skirt. She wore a headpiece bearing the same design as the scepter she previously held.

"Oh no" Bloom yelled, dropping to her knees. "We better take her home. She needs major help!"

***

Getting Stella onto her bike had been no easy feat. Bloom had eventually settled on putting Stella in front of her so that she'd be trapped between Bloom's arms as she rode. She'd stuck the blonde's feet in the basket - much to Kiko's dismay - so that her feet wouldn't be dangling and getting in the way as she peddled. To say that she'd gotten a few strange looks on the ride back to her house would be an understatement. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone rode through town with a strange, unconscious girl on their bicycle.

Getting her into the house was, thankfully, much easier as her parents were both at work. Her mother would be back around 5:30, just after she'd closed the shop; her father closer to 8 as shift change was at 7.

Bloom picked Stella princess-style since she didn't have the strength to put her in a fireman's hold, even if her father had told her multiple times that it was the easiest way to carry somebody. She carried the fairy into the house, knocking her legs into the door frame in the process - hopefully Stella wouldn't feel that when she woke up. Looking up at the stairs, Bloom realised there was no way she'd get Stella to her room - her arms were already starting to shake as it was. It would have to be the guestroom adjacent to the kitchen. Hopefully, her parents wouldn't notice; Bloom had no idea how to explain to them that an unknown girl, who also happened to be a fairy was in their guestroom.

***

Vanessa peaked into Bloom's room. Her daughter was fast asleep, which was a bit unusual. Bloom would usually be up already. Vanessa crept in, when she noticed the book that lay at the foot of her daughters bed.

"Fairies?" she whispered to herself "Bloom hasn't read the book since she was little"

"Rise and shine princess. A beautiful day awaits" She said, giving Bloom a small shake "You know, that used to be your favourite book. You used to pretend you were a fairy. You could do it for hours."

Bloom had stirred, but hadn't gotten up. She had rushed in yesterday afternoon, with a strange girl on her arm, ran upstairs, yelling at her parents not to bother them. Vanessa and Mike, having no reason to not trust the responsible young woman they'd raised, respected her wishes. The girls hadn't come down for supper, which was strange. When Vanessa went to see what they were up to before going to bed, she found Bloom fast asleep and alone. Maybe the blond had slipped out while both parents were busy? Vanessa had found it a bit rude of her not to say goodbye, but she trusted Bloom's judgement so she chose not to question her. It was only this morning, when she'd gone to put away the spare sheets in the guestroom did she realise that the mysterious blond girl had never left. Instead, she was fast asleep on the guest bed.

"So who's the girl downstairs who's fast asleep in the guestroom? Vanessa asked her sleeping daughter. Just as she'd assumed the redhead would, Bloom jumped awake.

"So it wasn't a dream" Bloom cried, jumping out of bed. "And she's still asleep? Good!" Vanessa had never seen her daughter get ready so fast. She had somehow showered in two minutes and was now running a towel through her hair at lightning speed. "She's Jenna's cousin and she's visiting from far away." Bloom had already slipped her pants on and was now pulling her head through her favourite blue and yellow crop top. "Don't wake her up, okay mom?"

"Come on downstairs for breakfast" Vanessa said, trusting that Bloom would explain soon enough. She gave her daughter a small smile and shut the door behind her.

Mike was sitting at his usual spot, reading the morning paper when he heard his daughter coming down the stairs."Hey Bloom" he said "today's the day were going to clean out the garage" He knew neither of them were particularly looking forward to the chore, but it was a great reason to spend the day together reminiscing about all the knickknacks they'd find.

"C'mon dad! I have lots of other stuff I have to do" Bloom sighed "lots of important stuff"

"What sort of stuff are you talking about?" laughed Mike. It was summer vacation and Bloom worked part time at the flower shop with Vanessa. How much could she possibly have to do?

"Do you remember when I was into fairies and witches, dad?" Bloom asked apprehensively.

"Of course I do" Mike replied, wondering where this conversation was going "You were so cute, always pretending to know magic"

"Well here's the thing" Bloom started before being cut off by her father.

"If you knew magic, you could just wave a wand and the garage would clean itself" he joked.

"That's kinda the thing I wanted to talk to you about... you know my friend, the one who's asleep in the guestroom..." Bloom started again, only to be interrupted by her mother.

"Just give her a break, honey. She wants to spend the day with her friend" Vanessa laughed. Bloom could always count on her mother to take her side and just like he always did, her father laughed and gave in to his two favourite girls.

"Okay. You get the groceries and you're free for the rest of the day" He said, giving his daughter a wink.

"You guys are the best, thank you!" Bloom said with a laugh, running off to do her only chore for that day.

***

Bloom pushed her bike through the streets; Kiko was in his usual spot in the basket. She hadn't felt any power today and that discouraged her. Hopefully they hadn't worn off or been a onetime thing.

"Hey Bloom" a whiny voice interrupted her thoughts "Isn't it time to send that two-wheeled relic to the junk pile?"

Bloom looked over to the slim, dark-haired girl. She wore her long hair up in a high bun today, as did Bloom - it was another one of those hot California summers. Cold blue eyes peered at her through the lenses of the girl's dark-rimmed glasses. It was Mitzi, a bratty classmate who insisted on making Bloom's life awful. To be fair, she tried to make a lot of other people's lives awful too, but Bloom always felt that Mitzi had it out for her in particular.

"There's nothing wrong with this bike. My dad got it for me" Bloom stated. Her father had bought it at the beginning of last summer. Sure, Bloom had used it a lot over the last year and some months, but it was still in great condition.

"Oh you poor girl" Mitzi started "Of course, I don't mean poor as in not rich, even though that is what you are" God, Mitzi knew just how to get under her skin.

A clanging sound caught both girls attention and the dark-haired bully turned around angrily, having already identified the sound. "Hey fellas, careful with my scooter!" Mitzi yelled to the two gentlemen who were pulling a shiny purple scooter out of the back of a truck. "It's brand new you know" she said, turning to Bloom. Obviously she had meant to gloat but Bloom decided she didn't have the patience for this today. She had other things to do.

"Well, see you later" She said to Mitzi dismissively. "If I had do have powers, Kiko, remind me to turn her into a monkey" Bloom laughed while driving off.

***

"So she's been asleep for 20 hours because she's a fairy?" Mike asked. "Is that like a goth or something?" Bloom was not making sense. She had always had a vivid imagination, but she had to know that fairies weren't real. Maybe this was a prank?

"I'm talking real fairy, dad" Bloom cried "with a scepter, magic powers and fluttering wings! She's amazing"

"You must have a very high fever" Mike said. "I think we should call Dr. Silverman..."

He was interrupted by a soft voice wishing them a good morning. The mystery blonde, or fairy as Bloom claimed, had woken up.

"It's evening, hun" Vanessa told her gently "How do you feel?"

"Uhhhh, fine now thanks to this girl right here" the blonde said, gesturing to Bloom. "My name's Stella"

"Hey there Stella, my name is Bloom"

"Let's call your parents now, shall we?" Vanessa interrupted. She knew that if Bloom went a whole day without contacting them she'd be worried and she wanted to put Stella's parents at ease.

"I'm afraid that's like so way easier said than done" laughed Stella "I mean let's face it, they live like six whole realms away in a kingdom called Solaria. I was on my way to the Alfea school, you know, to continue my magic training and..."

"Oh boy, oh boy" Interrupted Mike. "I'm calling Dr. Silverman. We'll see if he can figure out why the two of you are seeing things that aren't there". Clearly the girls had gone wacky, he thought, or worse, had this Stella girl pressured his sweet innocent Bloom into taking drugs. Was that why they were talking crazy?

Stella did not like Mike insinuating that she was insane. With a giggle and a flourish of her hand, she transformed the phone into a carrot and some lettuce. "You still think we're out of our gourds?"

"Woah, that was so awesome!" Bloom shouted. Stella couldn't help but be amused and how easily the girl was impressed with the simplest of magic.

"You're the one who's majorly awesome, Bloom" Stella said "When this ogre attacked me, she gave him an energy blast that kicked his booty into another dimension"

"It's true, but I don't know how I did it" Bloom replied.

"It's like I told you yesterday, Bloom. You're loaded with magic!"

"Me?" Bloom blushed. She was briefly pulled into a daydream where she swore she could magic and stars floating through the air. Then Stella started speaking again and Blooms daydream disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Hey, I just had like a great brainstorm. You should come to Alfea with me. It's like so far and away the best magic school in a whole 8 realm area"

"Hold it" interrupted Mike "My daughter's not going to another realm".

"I think that's enough for tonight" Vanessa said, giving her husband a pointed look. "Let's call it a night and we can talk about this some more tomorrow"

***

Bloom led Stella up to her room; she wanted to ask her about everything that her world had to offer. There were clearly princesses - and she was one according to the ogre - but what about witches and dragons and elves and all the other wonderful things she'd read in books as a child. "Well, here we are" Bloom said, opening the door to her room. The small room was painted a light pink - a colour Bloom had chosen three years prior. Her bed lined the right wall; her library and desk, the left. It was an ordinary room by any means, the thing that made it Bloom's were the drawings that covered the walls. Bloom loved to draw; not that she'd consider herself to be a great artist or anything, it was just a hobby.

"Wow! Cool room, Bloom" Stella said with an approving nod. "You should totally bring it to Alfea. A quick packing spell and it'll fit in a handbag"

"Stella, I don't think I'm going to Alfea" Bloom sighed, earning a shocked look from the fairy "I don't think I have powers anymore. I mean, I know I fought that ogre in the park, but now..."

"Trust me Bloom. Someone with magic like you have, doesn't lose their powers" Stella replied, turning to look out the window. "They're just rusty from sitting unused for so long"

Maybe Stella was right, Bloom thought. Could she actually have magic? "Do you think I'm like the girl in that book?" She asked, pointing to the fairy book that lay by Stella's hand.

"Hmmm..." thought Stella, picking up the book to flip through it "Let's see"

"Kinda..." She said after having flipped through a few pages "But this book was written by humans. You're so much cooler than this. And more fashionable"

"Wow, I can't believe that I really do know magic. And I have... what did you call it? Winx?" Bloom said, letting herself fall back onto her bed.

"Your magic's always been inside you" Stella pointed out "It's like my fairy godmother used to say: sometime you just need an ogre to attack you to find out what you're really made of" Now, obviously, Stella's fairy godmother would never have let her be attacked by an ogre. The girl was the crown princess of Solaria after all. Way too valuable to be fighting ogres, but Bloom didn't need to know that.

"Now try this. It's a simple matter-merge exercise" Stella said, making the pencils on Bloom's desk float and join into a single large pencil "Okay. You give it a shot, put them back how they were"

Bloom looked uncertain, but gave it a try. No luck, the giant pencil just dropped to the ground. "C'mon. Try again" Stella encouraged.

"I don't feel anything" Bloom sighed, obviously discouraged.

"You just need some practice Bloom" Stella sighed, sitting down next to the girl. "It's actually no biggie. That's why you have to come with me to Alfea! Before long, you'll be zapping ogres left and right"

Bloom quite liked Stella. The blond was naturally perky and was surprisingly good at cheering Bloom up. If she got to go to Alfea, she thought that they could be good friends.

"So where is it?"Bloom asked. She couldn't go to a school if she didn't even know where it was.

"Well it's sorta in a parallel dimension" Stella explained matter-of-factly "You go to the inner realm of the enchanted ring and then you..."

Bloom had no idea what she was talking about. Until yesterday afternoon, she had been a plain human. Stella knew a better way. Making a postcard appear and dropping it to the ground, Stella said "look, why don't you come with me and I'll show it to you"

The postcard grew to easily ten times its original size. Bloom gasped at it. As cool as magic was, it would definitely take some getting used to. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stella get up and walk towards the postcard.

"This" Stella said "is an express portal. C'mon. It's cool" If she hadn't known about magic, Bloom would've sworn she'd bumped her head when she saw the blonds feet start to sink into the picture. "Now follow me" She said, as the rest of her body followed until her head had gone through.

Was she insane? Bloom thought to herself. She'd been swallowed by a picture and she expected Bloom to just follow her like it was the most normal thing in the world. But, hey, if she wanted to live in a world with magic, she was going to have to embrace things that made no sense to her. With a deep sigh, she pulled herself off the bed and walked onto the picture just like Stella had done. No sooner had she set both feet down, did she start to sink in.

"Stella this feels really weird"

"Don't worry" the blond replied "almost no one gets lost between dimensions".

Bloom was starting to doubt what she had thought earlier about Stella being good at cheering her up. You could get lost between dimensions?! That was information she would've preferred not to know at this point, but Stella had said it anyways. Bloom didn't have time to dwell too much on that worry, though. As soon as her head had sank through the photo, she found herself standing at the edge of a forest.

"Well, there it is Bloom" Stella said, gesturing to the large building before them "the famous Alfea castle"

Bloom was blown away by how beautiful the building before her was. It was light pink in colour, with a gorgeous blue roof and Bloom could swear it had come directly out of her favourite fairy book.

"So what exactly goes on here" She asked Stella, pulling her eyes away from the school.

"The best and most fabulous come from all over the universe to perfect their powers. Most are princesses like moi but we also have pixies and get this! We're only one enchanted forest from the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. It's full of hunks." Stella said dreamily. Clearly the girl would be boy crazy. "But we're also just down the lagoon from the creepiest place in the entire realm: the Cloud Tower School for Witches."

"Wow. This is a really big decision" Bloom sighed. On the one hand, she really wanted to come to Alfea. Her whole life, she'd dreamed of a world where magic was real and now she had a chance to actually live in it. But there was also the matter of leaving her parents, and friends and everything she'd ever known to go to a school in a whole other dimension.

"To help you make it, I invited some of the Red Fountain boys over to your house" Stella announced, clearly very excited at the prospect of seeing them.

"The hero guys are coming to my house? When?" Bloom loved the idea of getting to meet handsome boys, especially magical ones. She wasn't so sure her father would love it, though.

"Pretty soon, so let's get going" Stella said, jumping up back into the portal. Bloom didn't take a second to think about the possibility of getting lost in another dimension and followed the blonds lead.

***

Mike and Vanessa were sitting on the couch discussing the possibility of sending Bloom to the fairy school when Kiko ran up to them, clearly agitated by something.

"Not now." Mike told the bunny firmly, pushing him away from his pants "we can play later, Kiko. It's been a long day". The bunny didn't let up though, moving over to Vanessa's leg to get her attention. "I don't know what's wrong with him. Maybe Bloom forgot to give him his dinner? Or maybe he's doing that thing where he pretends he didn't eat so he can get a second serving?"

Kiko ran back into the kitchen and started making a ruckus.

"What is that rabbit doing?" cried Mike, getting up from his spot. "I told you we should've bought Bloom a hamster" His annoyance was shortly replaced by shock and fear. A troll had appeared at the door. He was easily ten feet tall, blue and ugly. He'd been in their home all of thirty seconds and had already succeeded in breaking two doors, several pots and damaging the wall.

"Tell us where the girls are or you're ghoul food" the shorter, equally ugly, yellow monster shouted.

"Turn around, sunshine" Stella said. From Bloom's room upstairs, the girls had heard Vanessa's scream and lots of smashing. "I guess someone didn't learn their lesson." With a bright flash of light, Stella had transformed into the fairy outfit Bloom had originally met her in. The blonde flew up off the step and gave the troll a swift kick in the face.

"Are you just gonna stand there and let that little fairy kick your ass?" The ogre yelled at his troll minion.

"Me mad" growled the troll.

"Then do something about it tall, blue and gruesome" Stella challenged.

"Bloom, I'll handle the two gross outs" Stella said, not even turning around to make sure Bloom was still there "you take care of the ghouls"

"But how?" Bloom cried. Clearly Stella had forgotten that Bloom didn't exactly know how to use her powers, she just knew she had some.

"Just do something."

"Okay... I'll try" Bloom said, running out of the room. The ghouls chased after her, just as she'd hoped they would.

A blast of light came from inside the house. Hopefully that meant Stella was winning. Bloom, however, wasn't sure if she was. The ghouls had surrounded her and she had no idea what to do.

"Uh... nice little poochies. Roll over?" She tried. And then, as if Stella had sensed her fear and uncertainty, the ogre came crashing through the door, smushing the ghouls beneath him. "Good one Stella!" She yelled, only to see the fairy be thrown out the window two seconds later. Bloom ran to her side but before she could help her up the troll came waltzing through the front door, causing what was easily thousands of dollars in property damage.

"What do we do?" whispered Bloom.

"Hey Princess Stella" a masculine voice said from behind the troll as a rope wrapped around its neck "I hope your friend's the pretty one in the blue pants"

"Yeah" another voice said "and not this ugly guy at the end of the leash here"

Bloom looked behind the troll and saw four guys. They must be Stella's friend from the Heroics and Bravery school, Bloom thought.

"Ditto that" said the nerdy redhead on the far left. He was shorter than the rest of the guys and definitely didn't seem like the type of guy Bloom had imagined at a heroics school. He seemed more like the kind of guy she'd see hanging out at the arcade or at the internet cafe near her mother's shop.

"All right" said the blond boy right beside him "I suggest a three pronged rescue op" Bloom knew this wasn't the moment, but wow was he attractive. If it hadn't been for the troll between them, she could have stared at him all night. He had a stronger build than the redhead, but not overly-muscled, which Bloom liked. He had shoulder length hair and kind blue eyes. Bloom couldn't pinpoint it, but something about him radiated confidence and gentleness.

"Forget that" said the guy on the blond boy's right - the one holding the rope tied around the troll's neck. He had magenta hair, which bloom thought was kind of odd. She wondered if he dyed his hair. That wasn't his most interesting feature, however; that would have to be his striking violet eyes."I got this bitch-boy wrapped up all by myself."

"Dude, one summer at a swashbuckler camp doesn't mean you can go solo on a troll" sighed the classically handsome brunet on the far right, as his friend with the odd-coloured hair was pulled forward by the troll landing just behind Bloom and Stella.

"I rest my case" sighed the brunet again.

The troll approached the three other boys as the blond put up his shield. "Stay behind me" he instructed his friends. The troll began savagely pounding on the shield and Bloom hoped that it was very strong. She didn't want to see the handsome one get hurt. Or any of them, really, but particularly the handsome one.

"Hey guys, what did we learn about battling trolls?" The blond yelled as he tried to hold off the troll.

"Well" the brunet said, perking up a bit. He jumped up, bringing his sword above his head. "Smash 'em, I think" As he came down, the sword did too, causing the ground underneath him to split beneath the troll.

"No Sky" the redhead said "you take out their feet". He pulled up some sort of gun, though it was nothing like Bloom had ever seen, and shot three times. His aim was perfect and knocked the troll down into the chasm the brunet had caused.

"Way to go Timmy"

"Good thing you aced how to battle forest creatures, Timmy" the blond laughed, looking up at his friend.

"Ghoul alert" Sky cried.

The magenta haired boy got to his feet now that the pain from his crash had subsided. He looked back at the two girls and sharply instructed them to stay put. Pulling his sword, he cut through one of ghouls before another jumped on his back. He threw his arm behind his head, pulling the ghoul off of him only to feel a sharp blow to the chest as the ogre punched him. This was really not his day, thought Bloom.

"Leave him alone" cried Bloom, pushing a burst of light out of the palm of her hands.

"Awesome shot there, Bloom" giggled Stella.

"It just happened" Bloom said, staring incredulously at her hands.

"Like I said, you've got winx"

The ogre got to his feet, while emitting a deep growl. The magenta haired boy, who had quickly recovered from the hit, smirked at him clearly ready for a fight.

"Back off shorty" warned the ogre. Bloom thought it was funny that the ogre called him shorty seeing as how the boy, who was the tallest of his friends, was almost the same height as the ogre.

"You're the one who's going to back off" quipped Stella "or I'm gonna put my Stinkus Removus spell on you and you're gonna end up smelling like you just took a bath" Bloom didn't quite understand how that was a threat seeing as how the ogre was actually in desperate need of a bath, but clearly it worked so who was she to question the validity of the "threat".

Much like he had done last time, the ogre disappeared in a flash of purple light.

"I knew that would scare him" Stella laughed, walking over to the boys. "Bloom, these are the Red Fountain guys I was telling you about."

"Meet Riven" she continued, pointing to the magenta-haired boy, who glared at the two girls.

"Prince Sky" she pointed to the brunet, who greeted them with a flirty "Hey"

"Timmy" she pointed towards the geeky looking redhead, who gave a shy laugh and a small wave.

"And Brandon" she pointed towards the blond that had caught Bloom's attention. He retracted his sword and shield, gave the girls a quick wave, and said "How you doing?" before turning to the troll who had woken up and popped his head out of the ground with a low growl.

"Not so fast tough guy" said Brandon, putting some sort of electrical neck brace on him "you better come with us"

"Yeah, you've done enough damage for one day, pal" laughed Sky.

"Where are you guys taking him?" asked Bloom.

"We'll bring him back to Red Fountain. They'll probably send him to a creature preserve" Sky answered as a portal opened up to transport the boys and the troll back "So long"

"Bloom, I sure hope I see you at Alfea" she heard Brandon yell before being sucked into the portal.

***

Stella walked into the living room to find Mike sweeping up the mess that the troll had caused.

"I'm sure glad that's over" she heard him sigh to himself.

"Hey Bloom's dad" she said "Why don't you let me whip this place into shape with a little magic?"

"I've had enough ma-"

"I'm ready, dad" Bloom interrupted.

"Why do you have a suitcase?" he asked.

"You know" Bloom started nervously "just in case you guys say I can stay. Then I'll be packed"

"I know that you're way more grown up than we thought you were and that you have a special gift and all" Mike said "but we still have to check the school out." He didn't want Bloom to get her hopes up. What kind of parent lets their child go to a boarding school in a whole other dimension?! "We have to get more information about Alfea"

"But if it's anything like Stella says it is" Vanessa jumped in "you'll be in for a wonderful adventure. It's so exciting!" As always, Bloom could count on her mother to take her side.

"I know mom. It really is!"

"Hey Stella, how do we get there" Mike asked "Car? Plane? Broomstick? Do they make a broomstick for four?"

"Um... duh dad, broomsticks are for witches" Bloom sighed.

"Oh yeah, that's right" Mike said, reaching for his jacket "so what do you use Stella? Wait! Don't tell me. Is it fairy dust?"

"Are we gonna use the portal?" Bloom asked, looking over at Stella.

"Regular humans can't go in it, but you know what?" she replied, pulling the ring off her finger "My scepter can handle a little transdimensional puddle jump like this" The ring shone so brightly Bloom had to avert her eyes, and when she looked back the ring had transformed into the scepter that Stella had when she was in her fairy form.

A bright light enveloped them and before she knew it, Bloom was falling through space and time. It wasn't like going through the photo portal they'd used last time. That had been instantaneous; one minute she was in her room, the next she was outside Alfea. This time, it was what she had imagined travelling through a portal would be like. She was surrounded by magical energy and felt like she was somehow simultaneously floating and free falling. She glanced around her and saw the wonder on her mother's face, the fear on her father's, and the grin on Stella's.

Their landing was much rougher than the last time too. The portal had opened up in the sky, but instead of gently dropping them, it just threw them out onto a cliff in the forest. They were much farther than they'd been last time so that you could see the forest surrounding Alfea.

"Wow. Would you look at this place?" exclaimed Mike from his spot on the ground.

"Pretty cool, right?" Bloom laughed. Her parents were in complete awe of the sight before them. Bloom didn't think her father's jaw could open anymore, nor could her mother's eyes. Alfea, and its surrounding enchanted forest, was truly a sight to behold.


	2. More Than A High School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are moments in this chapter where I'll be in the other girls' heads so I'll be using Veranda instead of Bloom. Likewise, in the next chapters I'll be referring to Brandon (the real Brandon) as Sky and vice versa.
> 
> I added two scenes in this chapter, but IMO the show doesn't become very interesting until episode 4 so even the next chapter won't have too many additions (I think... Who knows; a school dance is a good place to get creative with characters that don't know each other).
> 
> Also, in my head, Musa is a bit of a potty mouth so expect a fair amount of swearing from her.

"That's it! The realm renowned Alfea school" Stella said, turning back to face Bloom's parents.

"It sure is pretty amazing" Vanessa gasped, while her husband could only stand there with his mouth open in awe.

"It makes public school look totally lame-o" Bloom joked.

"Well before we decide, why don't we go see what it's like?" Vanessa said.

Mike took a confident stroll forward. He hoped he appeared more at ease than he felt. What was he supposed to say to the principal of a fairy school? How should he act around magic? This was all so surreal to him; he couldn't possibly imagine how Bloom felt being the one to discover she had magic powers. "I wonder what their record is for college admissions a-" He had to admit he hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings since they were in a pretty clear area, so he was quite shocked to walk into what felt like a wall. Taking a few steps back and shaking his head to clear the fog, he realised that, much like he'd thought, there wasn't anything there. "Hey, it's like there's an invisible wall. I can't get through it."

Bloom walked up beside him to see what he was talking about. Why would anyone build an invisible wall? She reached out her hand to feel, but there was nothing there. "Where is it? I can't feel anything. Whatever it was, it's gone now" she said with a shrug.

"Actually, there is an invisible wall" Stella informed them.

Bloom turned around to face the blonde. "But if it didn't stop me" she asked "why can't they get through?"

"Simple." Stella laughed "you're a magical being my dear"

She gave a slight wave of her hand, sending a ball of light towards the supposed wall. Upon making contact the barrier lit up to reveal the dome that Mike had walked into. "This barrier" Stella continued" keeps non magical creatures out of Magix."

Vanessa took a few steps forward and threw her arms around her husband. How were they supposed to check out this school if they couldn't even get near it?

"Sorry" Stella said, noticing the questioning and upset look on Vanessa's face "while I can't take you any further, I can show you the official Alfea slide globe. It comes complete with the school song."

She held up her hand to reveal a small, glowing orb. Vanessa stepped forward and could start to make out photos and videos. Stella enlarged the orb a little so the pictures cleared up. Vanessa saw close ups of the school, the living quarters, students in classes and at lunch. The girls looked happy to be at the school, and they seemed nice. A photo of an older woman, with short greying hair and a purple jacket appeared. She gave a gentle smile, her eyes glowing with pride behind her glasses. This must be the principal, thought Vanessa. A few more pictures and videos rolled through showing the girls on a field trip, teachers demonstrating spells, and girls at school dances and studying in the quad. Vanessa had to admit it seemed like a wonderful school. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bloom also watching the slide show. She looked so excited and, as much as it pained Vanessa to think of not having Bloom around, she knew she couldn't deny her this opportunity.

"So, what do you think?" Stella asked as the slide came to an end.

Vanessa smiled sadly. "I think Bloom's going to have a great year." Mike, much to everyone's surprise, said nothing. The man usually had his 2 cents to put in, but even he could see that this was a once in a lifetime experience for Bloom and he wouldn't be the one to stand in her way.

Bloom hated seeing her mom so upset. She was ecstatic that her parents were agreeing to let her go, but she would miss them dearly. "Mom" she cried, walking over to hug her parents tightly.

"You'll have a wonderful time" Vanessa smiled at her as Mike gave his daughter a tight squeeze. Bloom could only laugh and wipe the tears that had started falling.

"She sure will! I'll see to that" Stella said, sorry to interrupt this touching family moment. She loved that Bloom had such a tight knit family, but she couldn't help but be a bit jealous. Her parents hadn't gotten along like that in years. "Bloom, we should get going."

"I'll be fine guys" Bloom said, letting go of her parents and walking over to Stella's side. "Don't worry about me."

With a quick toss of her ring and a bright flash of light, Stella transported Bloom's parents back home. Hopefully their landing there would be gentler than the last one had been. Stella motioned to Bloom to follow her. The blonde gave another small swing of her scepter and teleported them closer to Alfea's main entrance. Bloom was rather relieved that she had; she really didn't feel like having to walk there while carrying her suitcase.

"It's time to make an entrance" Stella laughed, making her way towards the entrance, "A fabulous entrance is essential dahling!"

"I'm not really sure what you mean dahling" Bloom replied "but I'll try."

"Okay, follow me" Stella instructed, giving a small flip of her hair. "Just smile."

"I'm nervous" Bloom said with a smile. It wasn't hard to smile, she was so excited to be here, after all, but what if she couldn't make her powers work. Would everyone else be as powerful as Stella?

"Relax, you're here with me" Stella laughed, throwing her arm around her new friend. "Fairy school is just like normal school but we all have magic powers and better outfits. You'll love it."

Stella led Bloom through the main arch of the school. From close up, Bloom got an even better look at Alfea. There were three buildings, connected by a single level. The campus itself was beautiful, too. Grass made up the majority of the quad, with pathways cut through it for the girls to get around. Trees were spread out around the place so the girls could rest against them, and Bloom could already picture herself reading a book under one of the tall, leafy trees. "I'm loving it already" She informed Stella.

"Ugh" Stella groaned, stopping abruptly "you're definitely not gonna love her."

"Who's that?" Bloom asked, looking at the woman Stella was pointing at. She was tall, towering over the young fairies that stood before her, with short brown hair, and a scowl on her face. Her brown eyes peered down at the girls over pointy blue glasses, and she wore a long blue dress with a crisp white blouse underneath and matching blue shoes. "She looks scary."

"Griselda, head of discipline" Stella shuddered, "she is scary... and in bad need of a makeover."

Bloom looked back over to Griselda, who was now talking to a young fairy. The girl had a tanned complexion with dark blue hair. She looked down at her shoes, presumably too terrified of Griselda to look her in the eyes.

"First name and place of origin" Griselda asked brusquely.

"Uhm... Eleanor of D'alona" the young fairy managed to stammer out. "I signed up online; I should be on the list."

"Hmmm" Griselda said, flipping through the pages on her clipboard, "I don't see it. I don't see your name. And you know what happens if you're not on the list? We turn you into a -"

"It's with one L" Eleanor said quickly, hoping that Griselda wouldn't get upset at being interrupted. Much to the girl's relief, Griselda simply said "Ah! There you are. Eleanor of D'alona, you may come in". The girl said a quick thank you, before running past.

"Oh no, I'm not gonna be on the list" Bloom said, realising that she couldn't simply show up to a school she hadn't registered for and expect them to take her.

"Fret not, girlfriend" Stella laughed, noticing the panicked expression on her friends face. "I got it all figured out. The princess of Vallisto was supposed to come here this year, but she's doing homeschooling instead." Stella gave a quick wave of her hand to reveal a small pink envelope. "She gave me a letter to give to the headmistress. I just won't give it to her and we'll be all set. No one here knows what she looks like so it's perfect." Stella made a show of ripping up the envelope and tossing it in the air before simply vanishing the pieces of paper that were fluttering down to the ground.

"So you want me to pretend to be this princess?" Bloom asked uncertainly, "I don't know, I hate lying."

"Hey, we're not lying. We're just not telling all we know." Stella argued, giving Bloom a push towards the terrifying woman in blue. "Long time no see, Miss G!"

Griselda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Not long enough, Princess Stella" she muttered, disgust clear in her voice. "Not after the little incident last year! I don't know how your parents convinced the school board to take you back! It's beyond me."

"They did donate that new computer lab" Stella replied, flashing the most innocent look she could muster.

Griselda rolled her eyes and shifted her focus over to the redhead standing next to the princess instead.

"Who is your friend?"

"Princess Veranda of Vallisto" Stella replied.

"Let's see, I'll check the list" Griselda said, flipping through her papers. "Yes, Veranda of Vallisto, you may come in." She moved to let the two girls past. What she wouldn't give to not have to deal with Princess Stella again this year. "NEXT!" she shouted, terrifying the young fairy that had already moved up in line to stand before her.

"Welcome to Alfea!" Stella laughed, twirling around to face Bloom.

Once all the girls had been checked in, a welcome announcement was to be made in the quad. Bloom and Stella made their way through a crowd of girls to be near the front. Stella joked that it was nothing that she couldn't tell her, but Bloom insisted on getting a good view.

Griselda walked back and forth in front of the group of girls, being sure to stop every now and then to look one of them up and down or dead in the eye. She had done this every year since her third year at Alfea in order to instill a proper amount of fear in the girls. She was, after all, head of discipline. The girls wouldn't behave properly if they didn't fear her.

"First things first, our code of behavior: the first rule is, you must follow all rules in the code of behavior! If you break the rules once, you will be turned into a frog. If you break the rules twice, your magic privileges will be suspended. And if you break the rules three times, you will be expelled, isn't that right, Princess Stella? Last year, she destroyed the potions laboratory with an unauthorized magic spell, which brings me to the second rule: no unsupervised magic at any time!"

Bloom looked at Stella incredulously. "You really did that?"

"I was trying to create a new shade of pink" Stella gulped.

"We believe discipline's the only way to prepare you for the world out there, which brings me to the third rule: stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower no matter what! We don't have a punishment for that, since nothing we could do would be as terrible as what THEY will do to you if they catch you there!" Griselda finished, giving way to a much kinder looking woman who motioned for them to follow her into the school.

"Welcome all. I'm Miss Faragonda, your headmistress. I'm an Alfea alumna and a former fairy godmother. This year we have quite a wonderful class. Some of you will fight evil, others will grant wishes and many are princesses that will take over your realms. Each of you is unique; you all have different sources of power, and diverse origins, but our mission is the same..."

"To help each of you be the very best you can be" mimicked Stella. "She really loves saying that."

"Naturally" Faragonda continued, unaware of Stella's mockery "we expect you to do your best at all times."

"Now ladies" Griselda continued, clapping her hands so the girls would turn towards her "It's time to check in to your dormitories and meet your roommates."

"Remember everyone," Ms. Faragonda said to the gaggle of girls as they were running off to find their dorms, "Let's make this a great year! Oh! And of course, use every opportunity to connect to your Winx!

Bloom was so enchanted by the inside of the school, that she hadn't moved an inch after being dismissed. Stella grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her trance and into a nearby hallway to find their room.

"It sounds like they prepare you for all kinds of stuff! You know what you're gonna be?" Bloom said, pulling her arm out of Stella's grasp.

"Duh! I'm gonna, like, rule the Kingdom of Solaria!"

Right, Stella was a princess and that meant that she would one day be queen.

"What did she mean 'connect to your Winx'?" Bloom asked.

"Winx is essentially three things." Stella replied. "First, it's your source of power, as in your strength and energy. And second, it's what guides you. Thirdly, it's like your magical identity."

"I think I got it" Bloom nodded.

"You either got it or you don't" Stella laughed "and you do!" She stopped in front of a pair of green double doors with a beautiful white detailing. "Our roommates; I hope they're more stylish than the ones I got last year. Their wardrobes had a monumental lack of colour. But, of course I won't be bunking with any of them as I have a single."

Stella led Bloom into the common room of their dormitory. It was a large room with a soft-looking light pink couch and TV - thankfully they had TV in this dimension. Boxes littered the area around the couch, presumably belonging to their dorm mates. "Come on!" Stellla shouted excitedly, yanking Bloom into her room. It was large, with a set of stairs leading up to a mezzanine.

"This room is sweet!" Bloom said taking in the canopy bed, large window and boxes of stuff that, knowing Stella, were probably clothes and accessories."Come on, let's see what mine looks like" She said, leading the way to a door across the common room.

She was so excited to see her room that she hadn't looked where she was stepping. A shriek pulled her out of her thoughts. She was surprised to see that the sound had come from a plant who was now rubbing his tendril.

"Wow sorry" she said, not really sure of how to react to a talking houseplant.

"He's my latest creation" said a sweet voice. "He's cute isn't he? My theory is that if more plants could talk, deforestation would be dramatically reduced. It's worth trying, if it just saves one tree."

She got up, extending her hand to shake Blooms. "Hi, I'm Flora"

Flora was a bit chubbier than Bloom, and few inches taller than both her and Stella; she had a gorgeous tan complexion - had she been from Earth, Bloom would've assumed her to be Latina. She had long light brown hair that framed her face beautifully and her green eyes really popped against the colour of her skin. She wore a light green ruffled top and a light pink mini skirt with a cute strawberry motif. She might be a bit clumsy though, Bloom realised, as the girl was stepping forward, she also somehow managed to knock the plant over. She flushed a little and let out a soft "oopsie."

"I'm Bloom." Catching Stella's glance, Bloom realised she'd made a mistake. "Uh...What I meant was Bloom is a name I like a lot but that's not my name. Actually, uh, my real name is uh..." Shit. This was going to be even harder than she'd thought. Bloom backed up a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of her name on the bedroom door " Veranda of uh, Valisto. Yup, that's me."

"Vallisto: Fourth world of Magic Realms upper ring, renowned for its rich, artistic tradition. Its beaches are very popular with tourists." A posh sounding voice with what Bloom could only describe as a British accent said from behind her.

Bloom turned around to see a girl with pale skin and short purple/pink hair. She had an angular chin, which was only accented by the long fringe of her short hair. Her large teal eyes looked at Bloom sharply.

"Right, that's where I'm from." Bloom said with a gulp.

"Informative. My name is Tecna."

"Hey Tecna, I'm Stella" the blonde said, jumping in to save her friend before she almost blew her cover again, "nice to meet ya."

"You are quite infamous" Tecna replied, narrowing her eyes at Stella. She wasn't thrilled about sharing a dorm with the girl who was known for blowing up the potions lab, but she wasn't going to make a fuss about it.

"That's the word on the street" came a voice from the door.

Bloom looked back to see a small girl with dark hair pulled into short pigtails high on her head, and an ivory complexion. Her dark blue eyes were accentuated by her short bangs and she looked at Stella with amusement, like she had just thought of the funniest joke. She wore loose, boyfriend-style jeans and a simple red one shoulder top.

"Yo, if you plan to blow up more stuff, let us know ahead of time so we can GTFO" the girl laughed, closing the door behind her. Clearly the joke had landed with all of her roommates, except for Stella, who just gave her an annoyed glare.

"It was in the name of fashion" Stella informed them with a dismissive wave, "I don't regret it."

"I am curious" Tecna asked, "Were you actually able to create this new shade of pink?"

"No" Stella replied blankly. "But when I do, it'll become the official colour of Solaria."

Just then, the girls heard a small scream coming from Bloom and Flora's room. They ran in to discover that Flora's plant holding Kiko upside down. Flora started to chastise the plant, but Bloom stopped her, pointing out the bite marks on the plants leaf. Flora thought this was much funnier than the plant had. She reached out to grab a pot that she hadn't used and some magic seedlings. She threw them into the soil and conjured up some full sized carrots. Kiko eyed them hungrily and was devouring them within seconds.

"Speaking of food" Stella said, "I'm famished"

"Yeah, me too" agreed Flora.

"I have a great idea" smiled Stella, "What do you say we get outta here and go downtown for a pizza?" The girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Sorry" Flora said, turning towards the dark haired girl, "we never got your name"

"Oh, yeah" Bloom nodded, "how rude of us."

"Musa" the girl replied with a small smile.

"So, what is downtown like?" Bloom asked, pulling the conversation back to their previous topic.

"Downtown Magix is so much fun" Flora replied. "You've never been?"

"No" Bloom replied, "but if it means pizza, I'm so there."

***

"So Veranda, you've never left your kingdom before?" Flora asked.

"No, never" Bloom said, turning towards her voice. The girls had forced her to cover her eyes so that she didn't spoil the surprise. She felt a hand on her arm, tugging at her to stand up.

"Then prepare to be blown away" Flora said with a small giggle.

Tecna kept her hands firmly on Verandas arms while she led her down the bus steps. She worried that Veranda would miss her step and tumble off the bus. Tecna had never been particularly good at making friends. Even on her home planet of Zenith, where everyone was a technology geek, she was awkward. She'd come to Alfea hoping to make friends with her roommates since they'd be stuck with her. And letting one of them, a princess no less, fall out of a bus was not the way to do befriend them. Luckily for Tecna, Veranda made it off the bus without a scratch.

"Can I open my eyes now?" the redhead asked.

"Yes, go ahead. Take a look" Tecna replied.

Bloom took her hand off her eyes, looking at the scene before her. They stood on a street corner at a busy intersection and the crowds of people had to make their way around the group of girls who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What do you think?" asked Musa.

"To be honest with you, I'm kinda disappointed" Bloom said. It looked just like downtown in Gardenia. "This is it? Capital of the realm of Magix, most enchanted city in the universe?"

"Well, what did you expect?" laughed Musa

"I don't know: Dragons, unicorns, rainbows, giants, flying brooms."

"But that's all fairy tale stuff" sighed Stella "This is the real world. What's cool is that everyone here knows magic and unlike us, they get to use it for anything they want."

As if to prove her point, a flying car drove up, almost hitting Bloom who had stepped off of the sidewalk. It turned clockwise 90 degrees, preparing to park where there was no space for it. The driver, a young man with curly hair, snapped his fingers and a spot opened up between two other cars.

"That was cool, I guess" said Bloom.

"Yup" giggled Stella, "and so way better than valet"

"So... pizza?" said Flora with a small smile.

"Yes, please! My stomach's growling" replied Musa enthusiastically.

They headed off towards the pizza place Stella had insisted they go to. Apparently, it was the best in Magix. None of the girls noticed the ogre running out of a glasses store behind them.

***

The girls sat at one of the round tables on the terrace. One of the great things about Magix is that it had great weather all year round so they'd always be able to enjoy a nice meal on a terrace. A young pink haired waitress brought them menus, which the girls quickly perused.

"So, girls," Stella said after they'd all had a chance to get their food "let's get to know each other!"

"Yes!" replied Flora enthusiastically. "Where's everyone from? We know where Stella and Veranda are from, but not the rest of us. I'm from Linphea"

"I am from Zenith" offered Tecna.

"Melody" said Musa with a small nod.

"Oh, I've been to Melody" said Flora, her eyes lighting up "it's such a beautiful planet - the cherry blossoms are simply incredible!"

"What are you most excited to learn about at Alfea?" Tecna asked, only to be shushed by Stella.

"Let's not talk about school while we don't have to. Do any of you girls have boyfriends?"

The four girls shook their head no, earning a large grin from the princess of Solaria. "Good! Red Fountain has a million hotties and having a boyfriend will only stop you from appreciating the damn fine art in front of you."

"Stella" Bloom said with an exasperated sigh, "they're people with thoughts and feelings. You wouldn't like them to treat you like you're just something to look at, would you?"

"What's the point in complaining?" Stella laughed nodding her chin towards a group of guys she'd noticed eyeing their table, "they're gonna do it anyways."

"Do you girls mind if I call my parents?" Bloom asked, pulling out her cell phone.

"Not at all, sweetie" replied Flora.

Bloom flipped her phone open and dialed her home number. She held the phone up to her ear and ... nothing. She hung up and tried again; still nothing.

"So what about exes? Any juicy break ups?" Stella continued.

"What's wrong?" asked Flora, noticing that her roommate looked upset. She was secretly thankful to be able to pull the topic away from relationships. She'd never had one and had nothing positive to contribute to the conversation; she had a feeling that Musa and Tecna were also thankful for the save.

"My cell phone isn't working for some reason. I mean, it's not even getting a signal or anything." Bloom replied, trying her phone one more time.

"Let me see it" Tecna said, motioning to Bloom to hand over her phone. "I love taking these things apart." She popped the back off the phone, took one look at it and burst out laughing. The girls, wondering if she had lost it, shared a look of concern.

"What's so funny Tecna?" Musa asked apprehensively.

"This cell phone is ancient technology. It belongs in a museum." Tecna managed to get out once she'd stopped laughing.

"But, it's the newest phone" Bloom said, reaching out to grab her phone from Tecna. She felt Stella tap on her shoulder and whisper that it was the newest phone on Earth and that technology was more advanced here.

"You need an inter-realm phone to call Vallisto" Musa informed her. She felt bad for Veranda, the poor girl had never left Vallisto and it had to be hard to be away from home for the first time. Musa was used to not being around her dad since he traveled for work so much, but she also knew what it was like to miss a parent. And it didn't help that Tecna had been kind of mean about her outdated phone.

"Right" Tecna nodded, "There is one two blocks away. You can use my card"

***

Bloom had already called her parents earlier, but she knew they were worried. She thought it best to call them often, at least for the first week or two. It was just a quick check in phone call so it wouldn't take her away from her new friends for too long. Luckily, she could use the excuse of being on Tecna's card. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face walk by. Straining her neck to get a better look, she easily identified the face as Knut's, the ogre who'd attacked them in Gardenia.

"Mom, I'm using my friends phone card so I really should go, but I love you and I'll call you back before I go to bed, okay? Bye" she said, hanging up as quickly as she could to follow Knut.

She followed Knut to an alley where he met three terrifying women. She was a bit too far to make out any details, and Bloom didn't dare get any closer, but they had to be witches. Just being near them gave Bloom a bad feeling. She was also, unfortunately, a bit too far to hear properly, only catching a few words here and there. She managed to make out the words "Princess Stella" and "ring". She already knew that Knut was after Stella's ring though; she needed him to give her more information.

A sharp pain in her back pushed Bloom into the garbage cans that she'd been hiding behind.

"Look what I found girls" said a voice behind her.

"Well hello" said another.

"Who are you?" Bloom asked, looking up at the girls.

The trio was truly intimidating. The girl on the right had a beautiful face, but the crazed look in her eyes and the wild dark purple hair drew attention away from it. The center one had chilling light blue eyes, almost translucent, and a tight silver-blue ponytail piled high on her head. The third, however, was the most terrifying and beautiful. She wore her long chestnut hair loose, with blond tendrils framing her heart shaped face. Her amber eyes narrowed at Bloom and from a single look, Bloom knew that this one would have no problem torturing her. Hell, the girl might even enjoy it. Actually, when she thought about it, they all gave her the feeling that they'd enjoy it.

"Who are we?" The silver haired girl asked as the third girl slowly disappeared. "We are witches from Cloud Tower."

Oh, this was not good.

"And we're seniors" added a voice behind her, "Nobody fucks with senior witches."

Bloom turned around to see that the terrifying witch was now standing behind her.

"You tell us where your friend Stella is, and we might forgive you" Said the silver haired girl.

Bloom couldn't let them get to Stella and her ring. She knew she had no choice but to fight them. She'd beat the ogre, how hard could this be?

"Back off" She said weakly, "I have magic power." She lifted her hand and summoned all the magic she could. A small burst of light shot out of her hand and Bloom thought for a second that she'd succeeded. Much to her disappointment though, the burst barely made it the three feet to reach the witches before her.

"That poor girl barely has winx" laughed the silver witch, "that is just so sad. Here, let me show you what real magic looks like." She held up her hand creating a burst of cold.

Icicles grew out of the ground beneath Bloom. She barely managed to jump up in time to avoid getting hit by them, but they were all around her. The terrifying one threw a spell at her. She had no idea what it was, but it drained her of energy causing her to collapse on her back. Thankfully, the icicles had disappeared.

She sat up just in time to see the crazed witch conjure up a tornado that sped towards Bloom. It picked her up and spun her around. Her hair spun around her face making it even harder for her to see which way was out. After a few seconds, the tornado spat her out. She managed to grab on to the edge of a nearby roof to avoid the rough landing that awaited her on the ground.

***

The girls were waiting for Veranda by the fountain just outside the restaurant. It shouldn't have taken her this long to make a simple phone call, even if her parents were particularly chatty. She had spoken to them before they'd left Alfea, after all.

"Let's go look for her" suggested Flora.

The girls headed towards the phone booths, but no sign of Veranda. Tecna was about to suggest splitting in each direction when they heard a scream from the next alley over.

"That's her!" yelled Stella, not waiting for her friends to reply before running off towards the scream.

"Should we be running into possible danger?" asked Tecna warily.

"Yeah, well, if it's Veranda, we can't sit by and do fuck all, right?" said Musa, starting after Stella. "Besides, Stella's already started running, so now we might have to save her ass too."

"Musa's right. We have to help whoever's in danger" Flora said, following Musa.

Tecna sighed before running after her friends. She really hoped this running headfirst into dangerous situations wasn't going to become a regular occurrence for them.

***

"...can't last long on ice, so you'd better start talking now. Tell us where Stella is" said one of the girls in the alley.

Looking over her, Stella could see Bloom completely frozen in a block of ice. And there was the ogre. These must be the bitches that had sent him after her and her ring.

"I'm right here" she said, putting on her bravest face. "Let her go now"

"Hmph, yeah right. Knut, time for you to prove you're not useless and crush those losers" said the ice witch.

"Now girls!" Stella yelled, urging her friends to transform into their fairy forms.

Tecna threw her arms up in front of her, caging Knut in a ball of electricity. Musa conjured up two large speakers beside Tecna's web. A loud, unpleasant beat, that only Knut could hear, boomed from the speakers, completely disorienting the ogre.

Flora waved her arms gracefully and vines appeared out of the ground, wrapping Knut up and tossing him away.

"What a useless ogre" sighed the ice witch while her sisters shook their heads in exasperation. "Alright little freshies, you are history." The ice witch gave a swish of her cape and ice shards appeared. "It's about to get piercing cold" she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Everybody behind me" yelled Tecna, pulling up a shield.

"I've got a flash for you fairies" the crazed one said angrily, "a lighting flash."

Gods, Musa thought, these bitches really do love puns. Don't get her wrong, she loved a good pun too, but it was really aggravating when the enemy did it. She didn't have too much time to dwell on her annoyance though as the lightning had beat Tecna's shield sending the girls flying backwards.

"Time to conjure an ice coffin..." started the ice witch.

Stella was so not down to be in an ice coffin. She knew the only way to get out of this was to literally get out. Pushing herself to her feet, she pulled her ring off her finger and tossed it into the air. Once the scepter was in her hands, she swept it over her friends, teleporting them to a nearby, witchless alley.

Once they were in the alley, Stella conjured up a sunbeam to melt the ice around Bloom. The girl thawed and fell to the floor still shivering. Stella held her tight, while still calling up all the heat she could. "It's okay!" she said, trying to cheer Bloom up. "You could've survived at least another fifteen minutes in that ice. You know, considering you're from Earth and all, you did outstandingly splendid, Bloom! You were so brave!"

Oh no. She wasn't supposed to say that.

"Stella..." She heard Flora and Tecna say suspiciously while Musa just muttered 'what the fuck' under her breath.

"Why did you just call her 'Bloom' and say that she's from planet Earth?" Flora asked

"Oh! Uh... right... there might be some tiny minor details we need to fill you in on... " Stella replied sheepishly. "Look, I'll give you the whole scoop on our way to Alfea!"

***

Back at Alfea, the girls had managed to get onto campus without getting caught so far. They just had to get into the building and up to their dorm and they were home free.

"I think I wanna tell Ms Faragonda the truth" Bloom said, clearly not realising that one should be quiet when trying to sneak around.

"We'll talk about it later" whispered Stella. "For now, just follow me."

Before Stella could take a step, a bright light shone on them and they heard Griselda yell at them to Freeze.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Griselda asked crossly

"We were worried about you girls" Faragonda continued, in a gentler tone. "Go to bed right away, and we'll have a talk about this tomorrow"

The girls lowered their heads. Being caught out past curfew was not a good way to start the school year. Before she could get past, Griselda stopped Bloom, asking her what exactly it was she wanted to tell Ms Faragonda.

"Right... well..." started Bloom nervously, "I'm not Veranda and I'm not from Vallisto"

"You... WHAT?" gasped Griselda, "You were lying to us? You've broken two rules in one day."

"She did" Faragonda said thoughtfully, "but she must be a magical creature or the barrier would have kept her out of Magix; so tell me, who are you and why did you lie to us?"

"Well, I uh - " stammered Bloom

"Don't blame her" interrupted Stella, "it was all my idea." She knew this was a one time thing for Bloom, whereas her parents could easily just donate another lab or library to the school to convince the school board to let her in.

"It's okay Stella" Bloom said, waving the blond away, "my name's Bloom and I come from Earth."

"From Earth? As in Planet Earth? How could that be possible?" asked Griselda with wide eyes.

"But please, don't send back home. I know I belong here. This is the most amazing place with the most awesome people ever." Bloom begged, earning an 'aw' from her new friends and a thumbs up from Stella.

"Well you must be punished, turned into something slimy..." started Griselda

"Hold on" Faragonda said, holding Griselda's arm back, "it took a lot of courage for her to speak up as she did. I think we should give her a chance. We could let her stay and take Princess Veranda's spot."

"We could" said Griselda blankly.

"Now go to bed, and please try to be good" Faragonda said, dismissing the girls.

"Yes Ma'am!" said the five girls as they ran to their dorm.

Bloom couldn't believe Faragonda had agreed to let her stay. She intended to make the very best of the second chance she'd been given.


	3. Save the First Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned in the last chapter, I'll be referring to Brandon as Sky and vice versa until the day of the royals episode.
> 
> After reading through some episode scripts, I've ultimately decided to kind of mix and match them depending on which dialogue I think sounds better (or less cringy sometimes...), and of course, modify them to fit my story.
> 
> I've finished my plotlines for this season and I'm realizing that I don't have a whole lot for Flora. I'm going to try to figure something out but she might fall behind a bit for this season.
> 
> Finally, a warning: the trix swear a lot. They are witches after all... This chapter is not so bad, I don't think, but I'm also a potty mouth. My friends used to tell me I had the heart of an angel but the mouth of a sailor, so y'know, I'm not a great judge of what is a little vs a lot of swearing.
> 
> Enjoy :)

"It's the first class of the year, a year full of great potential and limitless possibilities and that is what metamorphosis is all about. Metamorphosis is the art of changing how you appear, and once you master it, you can turn into anything from a rock to a rock star. Let me give you a little preview. Look at me now, an average elf, right?" smiled Professor Wizgiz. "Look at me now!" said Griselda, still sounding like Wizgiz.

"Don't worry, I'm not really the Queen of Detention" he laughed at the audible gasps. Returning to his original body, he continued, "The beauty of magic is that you can always go back to being you but for now we'll start with the basics. We'll warm up with one of the simplest exercises: Changing your hair color. You should all be able to breeze through this one. Look in the mirror that I've made appear before you. Focus your Winx and go. Try to change it."

Around her, students were going from black hair to pink hair, blue hair to brown hair. Stella had easily turned herself into a brunette, but try as she might, Bloom just couldn't seem to get it.

"Bloom, it's a little early to fall behind." said Wizgiz, standing beside her "You have a lot of homework to do."

***

"You just have to take it day by day" Stella said, reaching out to grab another piece of bread from the basket on the table. She had tried to help Bloom earlier during their study period but to no success.

"I hope tomorrow is better" Bloom sighed.

"Well, the learning curve for the first semester at a new school is quite steep, you know" Tecna informed her.

"You'll get it Bloom" Flora said sweetly, "you just need to keep trying."

"Young ladies, your attention please." Faragonda said from her spot at the front of the room, "I have a very exciting announcement to make: As it is the Alfea tradition we'll kick off the new school year with a formal dance. Our back to school gala will take place tomorrow night and our special guests will be the boys from the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. We hope you'll be warm and friendly hostesses and make them feel right at home."

"But not too friendly. Chaperones will be there and love spells and crush potions are forbidden." Griselda added on. Gods, that woman really was such a buzz kill.

"But dancing is encouraged" Faragonda said, laughing at her colleague's sour expression, "and the boys will bring surprise gifts for all, so I'm sure you'll have a lovely time."

Turning back to the girls, Stella smiled. "I can't wait to see the boys. Hopefully Prince Sky and I will be able to get our flirt on."

"Stella, is boys really all you think about?" Tecna asked disapprovingly.

"Of course not" the blond laughed, "I think about clothes and shoes, too, sometimes."

Tecna, clearly unamused by the joke, only shook her head in response.

***

Back in her room, Stella twirled around holding the stunning orange dress she'd bought last week. "A party is only as good as what you wear to it, and this will be an excellent party. Behold, an Iwink Wizrahi. I maxed out the credit card Daddy gave me but I didn't have a choice. It was calling out to me: 'Buy me! Buy me, please!'"

"And you obliged. How very noble of you" laughed Musa.

Her dress, a mermaid fit with a low cut V neck and cutouts under her breasts, was perfect for the back to school dance, Stella thought. It was elegant, but still sexy; Sky was sure to notice her in it. "Let's see your dresses!" she said, looking at the girls sitting on her bed.

Flora pulled up hers: an a-line dress with a sweetheart neck in two shades of pink. It had been her graduation dress from her last school, but since nobody from Alfea had been in her graduating class, she saw no point in buying a new one. Besides, she really loved this one.

Tecna's dress was a sleeveless, knee length light purple dress with a high neck (1). She thought it quite fashionable and, even better, very practical. It was made of a lightweight material so her skin could breathe while, if, she danced. Its a-line skirt offered her a large amount of motion, and it created a lovely swaying effect when she moved. And most importantly, the material was wrinkle and water proof so she didn't need to worry about wrinkling it when she sat or getting wet if any drinks were to spill on her. She'd spent weeks researching for the perfect dress and she thought she'd done a great job.

"What about you Musa? Please tell me you've got an actual dress to wear to the dance?" teased Stella. Knowing the dark haired fairy, she'd go in jeans and a t-shirt.

Much to Stella's surprise, though, Musa pulled out a floor length red slip gown with spaghetti straps, a V neck and a daring slit that reached a bit above mid-thigh (2). Her best friend, Cecilia (3), had picked it out, insisting that she would look 'smoking hot' in it. Musa didn't think it was quite her style, but she had to admit it was pretty. It had a nice silky material that Musa enjoyed running her hands over and the slit made it easy for her to dance in.

"That is gorgeous, Musa! Not very you" Stella said, trying to hide her shock that the girl actually owned dresses, "but still. Wow. The boys are going to love you." She gave a small chuckle, earning an eye roll from Musa. "Unfortunately, much like my ring, that necklace of yours doesn't go with it, so you'll have to take it off."

Musa's hand went to the small treble clef necklace that rested just above her bust. It was the only thing of her mother's that she still had after her father had thrown the rest out. "I'm not taking the necklace off" Musa said firmly. It was sentimental; she never took it off. Ever.

"Suit yourself" replied the blond. "What about you, Bloom?"

"I didn't pack any dresses. I didn't really consider school dances when I was packing. It sucks, Brandon will be there and this is all I have to wear."

"Please. There's a simple solution to any fashion dilemma: shopping!" laughed Stella.

***

"What do you think?" asked Bloom, looking at herself in the mirror. The dress Stella had picked was a strapless light yellow pencil cut and hit just below her knee. The dress also came with matching elbow length gloves. It was nice enough, but Bloom wasn't entirely sure.

She looked back at her friends. Flora gave her an approving nod. Bloom, like the rest of the girls, had quickly learned that Flora was extra supportive about most things. She'd even encouraged Musa when the fairy had joked about joining a cult. Her exact words were 'if it makes you happy and doesn't harm anyone or anything, why shouldn't you?' So clearly Flora was not the best person to ask. Tecna, who stood next to her, was shaking her head no. Musa, who had seated herself on the floor between them, was also giving her an uncertain look. .

"Too junior high" said Stella, coming back to bring her the new dress she'd found. "Try this instead."

This new dress was a sky blue mermaid that hit her at the ankles. It had a single strap and a nice diamond cut out at her navel. It was definitely much better than the yellow number. "What do you think of this one?" she asked, stepping out of the dressing room.

"It's perfect!" replied Stella enthusiastically. The other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

Bloom looked at her reflection; it was a really nice dress, and very flattering. She took a glance at the price tag. 13 550 guilder?! (4) Wow, that's..."too expensive" she muttered, turning back to take the dress off.

"I'll pay for it" offered Stella, before being nudged by Flora who gently reminded her that she'd already maxed out her credit card.

"Did you find any other dresses, Stell?" Bloom asked through the dressing room door.

"No, sorry"

"That's okay. Why don't you girls head back to Alfea?"

"Are you sure, Bloom?" asked Flora."We don't mind staying to help you."

"No, it's okay. Go get ready and I'll meet you at the dance" she said as they stepped out of the store.

"Text me if you need anything" said Stella, giving her friend a hug.

"Your probability of success is still very high" Tecna said, giving her an encouraging nod before turning back to join the rest of the girls at the bus stop.

Bloom looked around the stores. With all these expensive stores, she wasn't sure her allowance would be very helpful. Then, she saw it. SALE! YES! That was exactly what she needed. With newfound determination, she sprinted to the door. She had no time to waste; better start searching. She dug through bins of clothes when finally she saw it: It was a light blue a-line with see through off the shoulder sleeves. It was a bit too long, but she had learned to sew in home ec so she was sure she could fix it. The best part: it was 80 percent off.

***

Running into her room, Bloom quickly started to rummage through drawers. "I found a great dress, Kiko. It's just way too long. There's gotta be a pair of scissors around here somewhere." Just then, a deafening roar came from outside her window. "Oh no! The boys are already here. I have hurry Kiko."

***

Stella would not shut up on the way down to the dance. She was certain that Sky would ask her to dance, and if he didn't she'd find a way to make him.

"Why can't you just ask him?" Flora questioned, receiving a glare from the princess.

"Boys chase me; I don't chase them" she replied simply.

"If he asks her, it means he wants to dance with her. If she asks him, it gives him the power to turn her down and she doesn't want that" explained Musa, tucking her hair behind her ears. Stella had succeeded in convincing her to wear her hair down, insisting that 'it just goes so much better with the dress'.

Flora looked at her dumbly. "Why would he turn her down? Stella's a great catch" she said sweetly.

Stella let out a sigh; she loved Flora but the girl was just too sweet and innocent for her own good sometimes. Stella knew she was a great catch, but she didn't want to have to convince Sky of that. She wanted him to figure it out on his own and come sweep her off her feet.

***

"A school full of magic and I can't find one friggin' pair of scissors! This is so ridiculous." Maybe she could just find a teacher and ask them to borrow a pair? Surely someone must have scissors. Bloom continued to mutter to herself as to the whereabouts of a pair of scissors until a crash from behind a nearby door drew her attention. She threw the door open, revealing a dark tunnel. Bloom wondered where it could possibly lead and why there was a random tunnel connected to the Alfea hallway.

"Now, which way do we go?"

"Don't ask me, you're the one with the map" replied a snarky voice.

She knew those voices; those were the witches that were after Stella's ring. She had to get out of here. She hid around the corner; hopefully the witches wouldn't go this way.

"Here they are: the red fountain gifts" Bloom heard the ice witch say.

"This school is just so fucking cheesy. I don't even know why those boys wanna hang out with these bitches" replied the brown haired witch.

"Who gives a shit? It's not like we'd wanna socialize with those nerds anyways." replied the ice witch, turning towards the brunette. "Alright Darcy, locate the ring so we can get on with it."

"Sure, Icy. I have the perfect spell for this" replied Darcy, bringing her hands to her temples. "And the spell is cast, show us the past, Show us where she put it, show us where it is. Show us where to find it"

"This will be like taking candy from a baby" laughed Icy, "your turn, Stormy. Let's check out the gifts."

Stormy used a simple spell to open up the chest, revealing small golden eggs. "Ooh, enchanted eggs" mused Darcy, reaching out to pick one up. The witch cracked the egg, revealing tiny gold butterflies.

"They'll be the most memorable gifts these losers ever receive" scoffed Icy. Raising their fingers, the witches started their spell."Turn the enchanted into the cursed. Give them a bite that will make them puke first. The eggs will hatch and snake-rats appear, and spread panic, nausea, and terrible fear!"

"When we're done with them, those precious princesses won't know what hit them." Turning down the hall, Icy threw her hand out. A whirlpool of ice appeared in the wall allowing the witches to make their escape.

***

Brandon had been here for almost twenty minutes and he'd yet to see Bloom. He had been looking forward to seeing her again ever since their trip to Gardenia, and that excitement was only accentuated when Saladin announced that the Red Fountain students would be attending Alfea's back to school dance. Sky had spent most of the day joking about flirting with all the girls, but Brandon knew that he really just meant Stella. His best friend had been rather upset that their hangout in Gardenia was ruined by the troll. Riven had complained that he didn't want to hang out with 'those stupid pixies' every time the dance was brought up, and Timmy had just spent the whole day looking panic-stricken. He and Sky had finally succeeded in convincing them to come and, while Timmy was trying to be a good sport, Riven just stood against a wall being his usual surly self.

He felt someone crash into his back. Turning around to make sure the person was okay, he was happy to see it had been Bloom. She was wearing her jeans and a crop top instead of a dress, which was a bit odd, but Brandon still thought she was the best looking girl in the room."Hey, I've been looking for you."

"You were?" Bloom asked, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"Uhm, yes" he replied awkwardly. Gods, he wished he had Sky's way with women right now. "Would you like to dance?"

"Yeah, for sure" she replied enthusiastically before running off leaving Brandon completely confused.

While she had been talking to Brandon, Bloom had caught sight of the girls. Running up to them, she started telling them about the witches as fast as she could.

"Bloom, girl, you need to breathe and start again. We have no idea what the fuck you're saying" laughed Musa.

Pulling the girls into the nearest hall, Bloom started to explain what she had seen; the spell, the snake rats and finally, their plot to steal Stella's ring.

"It's cool, we can handle it. We'll just go back to the dorm and get the ring right now" Musa said calmly.

"It's too late!" Flora replied. "Look" she pointed to Sky and Timmy who were carrying the chest into the centre of the room. "We hope you like the gifts we brought you" they could hear Sky saying as he opened the chest to reveal the small golden eggs.

"We need a counter-spell and fast!" said Stella, reaching to grab Tecna and Flora's hands, "come on; let's form a circle. Focus your Winx."

"Let all the dark magic be reversed. Make the eggs like they were before they were cursed!" said all the girls in unison.

They turned back to see Sky handing an egg to one of the senior fairies. She looked at it questioningly before cracking it open to reveal, thank the Gods, butterflies. The girls breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"This one is for you, Stella" said a deep voice behind them causing Stella to jump. Sky stepped forward holding a small egg.

"Huh? Oh" She reached out to grab the small egg from his hand. "How cute, an enchanted little egg. Thank you" she said, eyeing the egg suspiciously.

"Let me see it" Musa said, grabbing the egg from her hand, "Flora, remember that tundra spell in Teen Fairy?"

"Yeah, I sure do. I can use it to give those witches a taste of their own magic" she replied with a smile."It will turn the thing they covet into the thing they hate." She took the egg from Musa's outstretched hand and started to move her other hand over it in a circular motion. "We'll put the egg in the ring case, and Shmoronburaboo."

"Hold on, what the hell was all of that?" asked Bloom, mirroring the confused look on Sky's face.

"That was the June Spell of the Month from Teen Fairy" said Flora, turning towards her and noticing that Bloom was still wearing jeans. "Hey, you should get into your dress now."

***

Bloom ran upstairs to get dressed. Unfortunately, she got there just in time to see Stella's jewelry box floating out of the room. Oh no, she thought, Flora's spell must not have worked. She had to do something; she ran after the box but it always managed to be just out of reach. She was getting desperate "One, two, three, come back ring! Four, five, six, stop that thing. Fuck that was pathetic!"

She wasn't giving up though: Bloom leapt up, just managing to grab the ring case. She couldn't believe she had finally managed to catch up to it. Turning to head back into the school, she made sure to hold onto the ring case as tightly as she could. She was halfway across the lawn when she heard a familiar voice say "first, we'll kick her ass." Followed shortly by a "second, we'll freeze her" and a "third, we'll turn her into fairy dust."

Of course the witches would be there! She really should have called the girls to meet her in the courtyard.

***

"Hello young ladies" Faragonda said with a smile, walking up to the girls, "We just had a great idea: Princess Musa should perform for our guests."

Flora, Tecna, and Stella looked at each other in confusion. Had Faragonda just referred to Musa as 'princess'? They turned to look at the musical fairy, who wore a large, very guilty looking, grin. Faragonda, who was either oblivious to the awkward situation or simply didn't care, continued to smile and look at Musa expectantly.

"I haven't prepared anything."

"Just pick a song you know well. I'm sure you'll be wonderful" Faragonda replied sweetly. She turned away to continue surveying the students on the dance floor, not giving Musa the chance to offer another argument against performing. In the girl's application, she had said that her dream was to be a singer, so why shouldn't she start now?

***

Riven was not enjoying himself. He had been forced to attend by his squad mates and he was wishing for their death right now. Hopefully, they would be slow and painful, just like this evening had been for him. His classmates were all dancing with, or chatting up, those damn pixies and Riven could not understand what the boys saw in them. Women were nothing but trouble and he wasn't going to let himself get sucked into that mess, but if his classmates wanted the trouble, who was he to stop them?

Someone cleared their throat up on the stage. Riven looked up to see Alfea's headmistress on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special performance by one of Alfea's very own students. Please put your hands together for Princess Musa." Riven rolled his eyes and turned his attention back down to the drink in his hand.

"H-Hi" he heard a small voice say into the microphone. The girl sounded like she was about to pass out from the nerves. Why would she accept to do something that terrified her so much? Riven looked up to see what poor creature Faragonda had forced to perform, and was shocked to find that once he'd set eyes on her, he couldn't seem to take them off of her.

She was short; easily 7 or 8 inches shorter than him, and even then, the heels she was wearing were giving her extra 3 or 4 inches. She had on a simple red dress with a slit that reached her upper thigh. She wore her dark, shoulder length hair loose. Her dark eyes looked over the audience nervously. She was... pretty. Really pretty.

She nodded towards the DJ, who started the music. Riven was surprised to hear it was an upbeat song; he'd assumed she'd pick something slower so that she could continue to hold onto the microphone stand like she had been doing up till now. She started to loosen up once the music had started. Maybe this wouldn't be a complete disaster, Riven thought laughing to himself, hopefully she can actually sing.

_I'm so into you, I can barely breathe  
And all I wanna do is to fall in deep  
But close ain't close enough 'til we cross the line  
So name a game to play, and I'll roll the dice, hey _

Okay, so she could definitely sing.

_Oh baby, look what you started  
The temperature's rising in here  
Is this gonna happen?  
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move  
Before I make a move_

She had started swinging her hips in time with the music. Every time she did, her slit opened to expose her long leg. If Riven hadn't already been staring at her, he definitely was now. Gods, this was not good.

_So baby, come light me up and baby I'll let you on it  
A little bit dangerous, but baby, that's how I want it  
A little less conversation, and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
Got everyone watchin' us, so baby, let's keep it secret  
A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't let them see it  
A little less conversation and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you, oh yeah_

She had mostly kept her eyes closed so far, but now they were open and they looked out at the audience flirtatiously. She knew she had their attention. His mouth went dry and his heart rate quickened. This pixie was affecting him and he was not okay with it. He tried again to force himself to look away; leave the room, something, but he couldn't.

_This could take some time, hey  
I made too many mistakes  
Better get this right, right, baby_

What had Faragonda said her name was? Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing ever to look her up and ask her out. Sure, Sky would never let him hear the end of it, especially after all of his musing about women being problems, but he'd find a way to shut him up.

_Oh baby, look what you started  
The temperature's rising in here  
Is this gonna happen?  
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move  
Before I make a move_

He continued to search his mind for her name, never taking his eyes off her. She had only been announced two minutes ago, how could he already have forgotten?

_So baby, come light me up and baby I'll let you on it  
A little bit dangerous, but baby, that's how I want it  
A little less conversation, and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
Got everyone watchin' us, so baby, let's keep it secret  
A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't let them see it  
A little less conversation and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you/em>_

__

And then it came to him like a shot to the heart: Princess Musa.

__

She was a princess. She would never have anything to do with the likes of him.

__

_Tell me what you came here for  
'Cause I can't, I can't wait no more  
I'm on the edge with no control  
And I need, I need you to know  
You to know, oh_

__

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. He had to get away from this. But, to his complete lack of surprise, he still didn't move. He was completely fixated on her and probably would be until she left the stage and got lost in the crowd.

__

_So baby, come light me up and baby I'll let you on it  
A little bit dangerous, but baby, that's how I want it  
A little less conversation, and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
Got everyone watchin' us, so baby, let's keep it secret  
A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't let them see it  
A little less conversation and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
So come light me up, so come light me up my baby  
A little dangerous, a little dangerous my baby  
A little less conversation and a little more touch my body  
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you (5)_

__

The crowd erupted into applause; even Riven applauded her. It took guts to put yourself out there like that. He was fairly certain that she was a freshman; he didn't recall seeing her last year.

__

She let out a small laugh and smiled at the audience. Gods, she was gorgeous, he thought angrily. At least she was done singing. She would leave the stage and he could just forget about her.

__

"ENCORE!" cried an obnoxious voice from the audience that he could easily identify as his least favourite person in the universe - besides his bitch of a mother and his worthless father: Princess Stella. Much to Riven's annoyance, more people in the crowd also started to shout for an encore.

__

The musical fairy let out a nervous giggle and moved up to the microphone. "How about a slow song?" she asked. She moved over to the DJ, whispered into his ear, and then she quickly walked back to the microphone. And, though he would never ever admit it, Riven's eyes followed her every step of the way.

_***_

Bloom backed away slowly from the witches. She wasn't strong enough to fight them; she hadn't even gotten her wings yet, and she knew the odds of someone hearing the fight over the music was not likely.

__

"Get back here! We have had it with you" yelled Stormy, approaching the fairy; her sisters following suit.

__

Icy rested her hand on the ground below her; a round sheet of thin ice appeared under Bloom, almost causing her to lose balance. She took a step back and nearly fell. Her only way off the ice without getting hurt was to jump off it, so she did, landing on all fours just outside of the circle.

__

Just as Bloom started to regain her balance, Darcy stomped her right foot on the ground, creating a fissure all around Bloom. Simultaneously, Stormy started to twist her arms above her head, summoning a tornado.

__

The tornado approached Bloom quickly; she had to get away. She backed up as fast as she could until she no longer felt the ground beneath her. She managed to catch her hands on the edge of the ground, but it didn't change the fact that she was now hanging on to dear life with nothing below her but darkness.

__

"There is no escape for you" laughed Icy, levitating the ring case that Bloom had dropped and tucking it somewhere in the tight outfit she wore. Had she stuck the entire ring case in her bra? "May I do the honours, sisters?" asked Icy.

__

"You pathetic Earth girl," she continued after having received Stormy and Darcy's approval to destroy the Earth bitch, "how the fuck did you even get into this school? You don't have any Winx at all"

__

"You're wrong! I do have Winx!" yelled Bloom, still hanging on for dear life.

__

"No. I don't think so" laughed Icy.

__

"I'll show you! I do have Winx! I know it!" She could feel the power surging in her; the same one she'd felt that day in Gardenia. This was good.

__

A sharp pain in her back brought her back to reality (6). She looked down at herself and saw that she no longer wore her favourite jeans and she was no longer hanging onto the edge of the ground. Instead, she wore a sparkly light blue miniskirt with a matching crop top and booties. She'd gotten her wings! "Cool! I knew I could do it" she said to herself, suddenly remembering the predicament she currently found herself in."Now let's see what you're made of" she said to the witches, taking a fighting stance.

__

"Aw, isn't that so cute, you got your fairy wings" said Icy sarcastically, "too bad your little outfit can't do your fighting for you. Darcy, care to fuck her up?"

__

Bloom saw her surroundings distort. Shit, how was she going to beat them if she wasn't sure where they actually were? She had an idea, but she wasn't sure if it would work. Fluttering her wings, she flew upwards and was shocked to find that the disorientation wasn't active in the air. Could it really be that simple?

__

"Now you'd better hand over Stella's ring or you'll have to face my wrath" she said, feeling confident now that she had beat Darcy's spell so easily.

__

"Hey, get a load of that 'tude" cackled Icy.

__

"I know, a couple of wings and bitch thinks she's all that" Darcy replied dismissively.

__

"We're gonna teach you a lesson" said Icy, turning back to face Bloom.

__

Bloom found herself being attacked by ice pillars coming out of the ground. She narrowly managed to avoid them. She had to figure out what to do next; maybe she'd been a bit overconfident. "Arctic blast" she heard in the distance. A strong gust of freezing wind blew her forward into the nearby shrubs.

__

"All right, let's wrap this up with my personal favorite, a nice cold ice coffin!" said Icy, turning to where Bloom had landed. The entire shrub area became encased in ice. "We got the ring, and Earth girl is history. We're done here." She snapped her fingers, teleporting herself and the witches back to Cloud Tower.

__

"Woah that was so cold" Bloom said, pulling herself off the ground. She'd just managed to avoid Icy's spell, but she'd been forced to lay low to avoid being attacked again. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't fight three senior witches by herself, so she had no choice but to let them get away. For now, though, she had to go get changed before she missed her chance to dance with Brandon. She and the girls could figure out how to get Stella's ring back later.

__

***

_When I'm lost, in the rain, in your eyes  
I know I'll find the light to light my way.  
When I'm scared, losing ground, when my world is going crazy,  
You can turn it all around yes _

__

Sky searched the crowd for a blond head. He found her by the punch bowl with the rest of her friends, smiling up at the fairy onstage. He quickly made his way to her; he didn't want to miss a chance to dance with her. He had been looking forward to this all day.

__

_And when I'm down you're there pushing me to the top.  
You're always there givin' me all you've got._

__

Pushing through the last group of people, Sky was disheartened to see that another guy was already asking Stella for a dance. He was going to turn around before she could see him but he was too late.

__

"Sky?" She said with a smile.

__

"Uh... hi Stella" he said timidly. Gods, this was not like him; he was usually so smooth with women. "I was coming to ask you to dance, but I guess I've been beat to it."

__

"Well actually, I was about to turn down this young man's generous offer. I'd love to dance with you, though." She said reaching her hand out to him so he could lead her onto the dance floor.

__

_For a shield from the storm  
For a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you.  
For the strength to be strong, for the will to carry on,  
For everything you do, for everything that's true  
I turn to you_

__

Flora felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a young man with light skin, green eyes and blond hair behind her. He looked at her nervously before asking if she'd like to dance. She was about to say no - she didn't want to leave Tecna alone - but Tecna assured her it was okay, so she put her hand in his and followed him to the dance floor.

__

_When I lose the will to win  
I just reach for you and I can reach the sky again.  
I can do anything, 'cause your love is so amazing,  
Cause your love inspires me.  
And when I need a friend you're always on my side,  
Givin' me faith to get me through the night._

__

Tecna looked up at her roommate with pride. She'd known Musa could sing; they did share a room, after all, but she'd never actually realised how good she was. When Musa released her first album, Tecna knew she'd be the first in line to buy it. Or rather, download it. Buying physical albums was a thing of the past, though you'd never believe it looking at all the albums Musa had piled up on her side of their room.

__

_For a shield from the storm  
For a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm.  
I turn to you.  
For the strength  
To be strong for the will to carry on.  
For everything you do I turn to you, oh_

__

_For the arms to be my shelter through all the rain.  
For truth that will never change.  
For someone to lean on._

__

__

__

For a heart I can rely on through anything.  
For the one who I can run to  
Oh, oh I  
Turn to you  
Oh yeah

__

__

__

_For a shield from the storm, for a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm  
I turn to you  
For the strength  
To be strong, for the will to carry on.  
For everything you do  
For everything that's true  
For everything you do  
For everything that's true  
I turn to you. (7)_

__

Once again, the audience erupted in applause. Musa looked out at them happily. She had to admit that she was surprised at how quickly her nerves went away. She knew she was a good singer, but the only people she'd performed in front of were her best friend, Cecilia, and anyone in the karaoke bars they went to.

__

She started making her way off the stage when she noticed him. He was standing against the back wall of the ballroom, arms crossed over his chest, looking at her intently. Gods, he was gorgeous. She didn't have a chance to get a better look at him, though, as her friends were already running up to her.

__

"You were amazing, simply amazing dah-ling" gushed Stella.

__

"Yes, you were quite good" agreed Tecna, ignoring her annoyance at Stella's mispronunciation of the word 'darling'.

__

"Good? Tecna she was phenomenal!" cried Stella.

__

"You were wonderful, sweetie" laughed Flora, giving Musa a tight hug.

__

"Thanks girls" she said, blushing.

__

"Oh, let me introduce you girls to Sky and his friends" Stella said, remembering that she'd made the guys follow her towards Musa. "This is Prince Sky" she said looking up at him adoringly, "Brandon, Timmy, and Riven is around here somewhere."

__

"Probably sulking in a corner" laughed Brandon.

__

"Yeah, he wasn't too thrilled about coming to the dance" agreed Sky.

__

"Boys, this is Musa, as you now know, Flora and Tecna" Stella said, "And Bloom should hopefully be joining us soon. How long could it possibly take her to get changed?"

__

"You are not the person to be asking that question, Stella" Musa laughed.

__

As they started making their way to a table, Stella slid over to Tecna and whispered to her that 'Timmy's really into computers'. Tecna had to laugh at the blatant attempt to set her up; she wasn't particularly interested in having a boyfriend and his being into computers wasn't enough of a reason for her to be interested. She did have to admit, though, that she found the redheaded boy attractive. He wasn't as muscular as his counterparts, which she preferred, and she had already noticed how his hazel eyes shone when he laughed.

__

She had no way of knowing it, of course, but he had noticed her too and he was rather taken by her; by how her purple hair accentuated sharp teal eyes, or how her knee length skirt was modest, but still flashed her thighs when she moved, or how her accent made her sound smart, posh and incredible sexy all in one, and how her laugh made him see colours he didn't know existed. It definitely helped her case when Sky, prompted by Stella of course, walked over to him and mentioned that Tecna, the fairy of technology, was super into computers and video games, just like him.

__

On their way to a free table they'd managed to spot, the girls noticed Bloom walking into the room. Stella instructed the boys to grab the table and they'd be there in a minute.

__

"Bloom!" yelled Stella, waving her arms so the redhead would see her.

__

"Where were you? Are you okay?" asked Flora.

__

"Yeah" Bloom sighed, "I had to fight the witches, but I got through it."

__

"You took them on, all by yourself?!" cried Stella, looking at her friend incredulously.

__

"So how did it go?" asked Tecna, trying to be the calm one after Stella's outburst. Clearly Bloom was okay since she was here.

__

"I grew wings, it was really amazing!"

__

"Oh, that is brilliant, congratulations!" smiled Tecna

__

"But the problem is that they have Stella's ring. I wasn't able to get it back from them."

__

"They don't have it. Do you remember the Spell of the Month?" asked Flora

__

"Uh, I don't think it worked" said Bloom

__

"Oh, it worked" replied Flora with a smile. Looking at Bloom, she noticed that the fairy had finally gotten to change her dress. She wore a knee length blue skirt with a matching tube top, accented by darker blue detailing and see-through off shoulder sleeves. "That dress is so you, and so beautiful" she said with a smile.

__

"Thanks Flo! So give me the scoop, you guys. What'd I miss?"

__

"Well, Prince Sky's been flirting with Stella all evening so she's in a great mood" laughed Musa, looking at Stella who had a huge smile on her face.

__

"The headmistress asked Musa to sing for the boys" said Tecna

__

"And she was incredible" added Flora

__

"No way! I'm so sorry I missed it"

__

"It's okay; you can catch my encore in our dorm later"

__

"Oh and apparently Musa is a princess" Stella remarked, giving her friend a pointed look.

__

"You are? Why didn't you tell us?" asked Bloom

__

"I just didn't want all the pressure of being a princess here. I'm not first in line for the throne anyways and nobody here knows me so I didn't see the harm in omitting that detail" explained Musa "I'm sorry for not telling you; it's just, people treat you differently when they find out you're royalty and I've always hated it."

__

"We understand, sweetie" said Flora, putting a comforting hand on Musa's shoulder. "And Brandon asked where you were, right Stella?" she continued, pulling attention away from the musical fairy. Stella nodded in response earning a huge smile from Bloom. "This has been a truly amazing day, I mean, counter-spelling the witches, and then fighting them, and then finding my Winx and growing wings and now the party. What else could I ask for?"

__

"I can think of something" giggled Stella, pointing behind Bloom.

__

She turned around to see Brandon behind her. He looked at her with a sweet smile. "Hey, you know you owe me a dance."

__

"Right... Okay" Bloom laughed, remembering how she had run off after accepting a dance, probably leaving Brandon confused. She placed her hands in his and let him lead her to the dance floor.

__

"So how do you like Alfea?" he asked as they swayed.

__

"I like it; I'm starting to feel right at home" she replied with a smile.

__

The song ended giving way to a much faster paced one, so they decided to make their way back to the table to talk to their friends. Not all of them though, as it just so happened that Musa loved this song and was pulling all of her friends, including a not super willing Tecna, onto the dance floor. They ran into Bloom and Sky on their way and Musa pulled Bloom with them, leaving Sky to walk over to the boys alone.

__

It was at this moment that Riven chose to make an appearance, telling his friends that he'd stayed the two hours they'd insisted and he was heading back to Red Fountain. He, of course, had no way of knowing that his friends had just been sitting with the girl who'd caught his attention so intensely earlier that evening. He did, however, catch sight of her on his way out of the ballroom. She was dancing with her friends to a Latin-sounding beat and the sway of her hips kept him in a trance by the main exit. She took one of her friends, a girl with short purple hair who looked uncomfortable on the dance floor, by the hips, forcing the girl to sway with her. Slowly, the friend loosened up - though not much - and started dancing along. He stayed there, watching her, until the song ended. Once it had, he quickly exited, thinking to himself that it would be much better if he never saw her again; she would be nothing but heartache and trouble for him.

__

***

Musa and Flora spent most of the evening on the dance floor. It shocked Musa that Flora enjoyed dancing as much as she did, but she was happy to have a partner since Bloom and Stella had decided to spend most of their evening talking to Brandon and Sky, and Tecna didn't want to dance anymore, nor did she have the stamina to keep up with Musa.

__

Instead, Tecna spent her evening getting to know the redheaded boy. He was quite intelligent, she found, but a bit shy. Not that she could fault him since she herself was quite shy. She was happily surprised to find out they had the same favourite video game developer and both had a secret passion for old arcade games. Timmy mentioned having found an arcade in Magix that specialised in older games that had been discontinued. Tecna replied that that sounded incredible, secretly hoping that he would ask her to go with him. But he didn't, whether because he didn't want to or because he was too shy, she had no way of knowing.

__

Flora had been asked by a few Red Fountain boys to dance, but refused. The boy she had danced with during Musa's song had been from an industrial planet, which she found a bit off-putting. Even more off-putting, though, was the fact that, halfway through the song, he'd slid his hand all the way down her back to rest on her butt. She'd immediately pushed him away and had resolved not to dance with any more Red Fountain boys unless she knew they'd be respectful. She much preferred dancing with Musa, anyways. Her friend was much more fun to be around and had a way of making Flora want to let go of all her inhibitions and just dance, which the nature fairy really enjoyed.

__

Bloom and Stella spent the rest of the evening alternating between talking to Brandon and Sky at the table, dancing with Brandon and Sky, and dancing with the other girls, including Tecna when they managed to get her on the dance floor.

__

All in all, the girls would agree that it was a very successful evening. As would the boys, except for Riven, of course, who had been so taken by a girl that he didn't know and he knew he would never get. Instead, he went to sleep as soon as he got to Red Fountain, where the dark haired fairy quickly took over his dreams.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I changed Tecna's dress. I love her too much to let her wear that hideous dress.
> 
> (2) I also hated Musa's dress. I know that this one is a bit out of character but just go with it.
> 
> (3) Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians.
> 
> (4) the Dutch guilder was the old currency of the Netherlands.
> 
> (5) Into you by Ariana Grande
> 
> (6) Getting wings has to hurt, right? I never could figure out if they just appeared or if they grew and you could just retract them, so I decided to go with them actually growing.
> 
> (7) I turn to you by Christina Aguilera


	4. The Voice of Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, the next few chapters are going to be MxR heavy. I feel like the story needs a lot of moments for them to properly fall for each other in order for it to make sense that Musa feels so strongly for him through the whole Darcy debacle.
> 
> Enjoy :)

The girls stood on the edge of Black Mud Swamp waiting for the professor to arrive and explain why they'd had to get up at 6:30am for a field exercise. Musa sincerely hoped this wouldn't be a regular thing; she was not a morning person and would do almost anything to be able to go back to bed.

"It's such a beautiful day" she heard Flora say. Musa wanted to kill her right now; it was 7:30 in the morning and she'd only fallen asleep at 2. She'd really tried to get more sleep; she'd actually gone to bed at 10, but she just couldn't sleep. She had started dosing off somewhere around midnight only to be woken up, and then kept awake, by Tecna's snoring. Eventually the exhaustion got the best of her and she fell into a deep sleep, only to be woken up by Tecna four and half hours later

Stella, on the other hand, wasn't so focused on her exhaustion. She'd gotten up at 5:30 so she could be sure to have enough time to get ready. Even if they'd be in a swamp, she had to look her best. What if the plants reacted to beauty, she reasoned. No, she wasn't focused on her five and a half hours of sleep. She was focused on the horrible outfits they'd been forced to wear. They looked like park rangers; frumpy, beige park rangers. Sure, she'd managed to accessorize it with a cute scarf and her chic-est park ranger-esque hat (it had to go with the horrible ensemble, after all), but she still thought it hopeless. At least her hair and makeup looked good.

Tecna, Bloom and Flora were gathered by the back of the class. They were focusing on the vines at the edge of the swamp. Bloom listened quietly as Flora and Tecna took turns giving her information about said vines; Flora from memory and Tecna from her phone after she had scanned it. Flora's ability to remember details about so many different plants astounded her. She couldn't help thinking that her mother would love Flora. This reminded her, she should call her parents after class.

They heard someone clearing their throat and turned to see their professor had finally arrived. "Welcome class to Black Mud Swamp and to... to...ACHOO. R-r-right, as you can sneeze, I mean, as you can see" Palladium said with a sniffle, "I'm slightly allergic to the sap from the Igglethord vine. Now, this is your first field exercise for the Magic of Nature."

"I'm in the wrong class, I'm from an urban realm" came an obnoxious voice from the front of the group.

Palladium shrugged. "A well-rounded education is what Alfea is all about, Dahlia."

"But a keekbug bit me" Dahlia complained, lifting her already short shorts to show the professor where she'd been bitten.

Palladium's eyes went wide. "A keekbug?! Well the quicker we bit on with, ah, I mean get on with the exomite, I mean exercise-"

"For a nature professor he's pretty squeamish isn't he?" Bloom whispered to Stella.

"There's a word for that. It's, like, irony" giggled the blonde, turning her attention back to the professor.

"Now, this field exercise is designed to test your natural ability to listen to the always present voice of nature. Each group must navigate through Black Mud Swamp and find the crystal clearing, and here's the catch, you may not use any magic. Only the Voice of Nature will be your guide, and remember, it's not enough to hear the voice, you must listen to it as well."

One of the girls started to speak, but clearly Palladium wasn't interested in helping or listening to his students as he simply vanished.

"No reason to stand around and gab, let's start looking" said Flora leading them into the swamp. They walked quietly; ducking under low hanging branches and watching Stella try not to slip on the muddy ground. Musa tucked her mother's necklace into the turtleneck she wore under her uniform; she didn't want to risk it getting snagged on a branch.

"Ugh" Stella shrieked, "this place is... ew! Something's crawling up my leg!" She started jumping around; trying to get whatever was on her leg off. 

"What happened to 'Mud does such wonders for my complexion'?" laughed Musa, putting on her best imitation of the sun fairy.

"Just so you know," Tecna said, pointing towards the swamp water they were currently standing in, "these bubbles could indicate that we are standing on the back of a subterranean sludge slug. They are not friendly, but do not worry" she continued, bringing her hands up to her side, "I will take care of it. A standby spell ought to do the trick."

"Tecna don't!" Bloom said, grabbing her arm, "We can't use our magic. We gotta listen to nature. Just use your senses."

"Smells like old socks" Stella joked, sniffing again, "Or like a..."

"It's some kinda gas!" Musa interrupted, "Let's get the fuck outta here!" Running out of the swamp water, she ducked behind a fallen tree. "So, what is it?" Stella asked once all the girls were out of the water.

Bloom picked up a nearby log and tossed it into the swamp. "Let's find out! Get down everybody!" Bloom was pretty confident in her toss; she'd been the star pitcher on her little league team. Her log succeeded in hitting one of the bubbles and a stream of gas was released

"It's Medusa Gas. That stuff would've turned us to stone" Flora said.

"I guess my information was incorrect" Tecna sighed, clearly embarrassed.

"It's okay, Tecna" Bloom said, trying to reassure her, "we just gotta be careful."

"That tree turned to stone. Look at it." Flora pointed to the tree closest to the swamp.

"Turned to stone? Talk about being statuesque" Stella joked, earning groans from Bloom and Tecna, who saw no humour in the situation; a clearly fake giggle from Flora, who was just trying to be supportive; and an actual laugh from Musa, who loved bad jokes.

***

Eventually the girls settled on walking through a part of the swamp that was significantly shallower than the one they'd almost become statues in. They slowly made their way through the clearing trying to listen to the voice of nature. Flora and Bloom had been able to connect to it, but no luck for the other three girls.

Tecna was not too surprised that she hadn't been able to connect to the voice of nature; she was from a digital realm and her powers were all related to technology. She'd never been around so many plants in her life until she came to Alfea. If she managed to connect to 'the voice of nature', she'd be amazed.

Stella thought this whole voice of nature thing was a crock. How could nature possibly communicate with them? It was a thing, not a person. Maybe she should start claiming that the 'voice of fashion' was communicating with her and eventually someone would take her seriously.

Musa had been a bit annoyed that it was called the 'voice' of nature. It really should've been called something else: the gut feeling of nature? A spiritual connection to nature? Literally, anything else would've been better. The 'voice' made it seem like it was an actual voice and that she would definitely be able to hear it. Being from Melody, she had impeccable hearing; much stronger than the average person's.

"Flora, do you -" Bloom started before getting distracted by the sound of an engine above them. "Look a Red Fountain craft" she yelled, pointing at the ship that had just passed them and was now crashing a few hundred feet ahead of them. "Hurry, they might need help" she said, running in the direction of the ship. The other girls looked at one another and shrugged before following the redhead.

Stella was delighted, and worried, when she saw Sky standing in front of the crashed ship. He looked fine so she chose to open flirtatiously. "Well, look who it is" she said with a smile. It was a good thing she had gotten up early to do her hair and makeup; she would've died on the spot if Sky had seen her _au natural._

That's him, thought Musa. That was the boy who had been staring at her during the dance last week. He was even better looking up close. She had to admit she was a sucker for a nice body, and gods, his was incredible. Every muscle was defined perfectly by the tight Red Fountain uniform; those uniforms were definitely good for that. He had sharp features and wore his magenta hair mostly slicked back; he'd kept some strands out to frame his face. Was that done on purpose did they just happened to have fallen out, she wondered as she watched him rub his head, his arm flexing under his uniform.

"Are you boys okay?" she heard Flora ask.

"We saw your plane crash" Tecna added.

"It wasn't a crash. It was more like an emergency landing." Riven replied roughly, opening his eyes to look at the fairies that stood in front of them. He was focused on Stella and Bloom when he felt eyes on him. Turning his head, he groaned internally. Of course it would be her. He noticed that her hair, which he'd thought was black during the dance, was actually a deep blue. She wore it in two high pigtails, which he would've thought childish on anyone else, but on her it worked.

Her navy eyes watched his every move and now that he'd set his eyes on them, he couldn't look away. Her eyes were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen; he could stare into them for days on end. She brought her hand up to her face and absentmindedly started biting the tip of her finger. That single action was enough to get Riven's heart beating so fast he thought it would leap out of his chest. She looked so innocent and so very sexy.

Musa felt her breath catch when his eyes met hers. They were the most incredible shade of purple she'd ever seen and they held a whirlwind emotion. She knew she should look away, but she just couldn't. She felt like she could look into his eyes for years and still never be able to discover everything that lay beneath them. Her attention only snapped back to the group when she heard Sky say something about a troll getting away.

"You guys let a troll escape?" Stella said.

Riven wasn't about to let that bimbo blame them for this. "We didn't let anything escape. We had an accident; the ship malfunctioned" he said defensively. He noticed Musa's eyebrows furrow at his tone. This was good; if he could annoy her enough maybe she'd hate him enough that he wouldn't have to worry about her.

"Mechanical failure" Timmy agreed.

"But we've got him in addle shackles so it's fine" Riven continued.

"Exactly, they slow you down like a tranquilizer. He won't get very far" Brandon added.

Sky gulped. He had been crouched down, looking at the troll foot prints when he noticed the shackles sitting off to the side. Picking them up, he said: "Actually guys it looks like the shackles came loose. Look." His teammates groaned at him; why would he say that in front of the girls?

"They came loose?" the girls yelled in unison.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Brandon asked, hoping to distract them from the fact that a troll was now on the loose.

"A field exercise for nature class" Bloom replied.

"So then get back to your little exercise, girls, and leave this problem to the specialists" Riven said.

Stella, never one to take people's crap, was not happy with Riven's attitude. She knew getting mad wouldn't get to him, but teasing would. "When are the specialists gonna get here?" she asked sweetly.

Musa snorted back a laugh, earning a glare from the specialist. Riven was not about to let this little brat put him in his place, so he did what he did best: he lashed out. "Listen you privileged little princess -" he started. Lucky for her, Sky cut him off before Riven really got into it. It's a shame because it would've been the perfect way to get Princess Musa to stop looking at him with those breathtaking blue eyes.

"What Riven wants to say is that it might be best if you guys just leave the troll to us and go back to your class assignment" Sky said, not wanting to let Riven lash out at Stella. He had no doubt that his princess was stubborn and bold enough to launch an equally terrifying verbal assault on Riven. But he knew his squad mate better than her, so he knew that when Riven's temper got out of control, he had a tendency to start throwing fists. And, though he knew Riven wouldn't hit a girl unless he had to, he really didn't want to risk Stella's beautiful face getting damaged.

"I can tell her to fuck off myself" Riven retorted.

"But what if the troll runs into the other girls from our class?" asked Tecna.

"Just stay out of our way so we can take care of it, you got it? Come on guys, let's go. Let's not waste any more time here" Riven said, leading the boys back towards the fallen ship.

"Maybe we should go along with them" Bloom said, turning back towards the girls.

Stella scoffed at the suggestion. "You mean after the shitty 'tude Riven just gave us?"

"Yeah, he was rude" Flora replied. Musa and Stella were both surprised at how uncharacteristic her response was. "I say we get back to our assignment, and let Riven deal with it" continued the nature fairy.

"Flora's right, Bloom: If Riven wants to get eaten; I say 'bon appetit' right?" Stella laughed. Flora looked at her uncertainly. "That's not quite what I said but-"

"There is something strange here. Did you girls notice the hole in the ship?" Tecna interrupted, her back to the girls, facing the ship. "The patterns of the burnt marking surrounding the perimeter indicate that the hole was created by a blast from outside the ship while it was still in flight."

"So, you mean someone shot down the ship?" Flora asked.

"Yes it looks that way."

"If that's so, I guess we should investigate." Flora shrugged, feeling a bit bad about having not wanted to help them earlier.

***

The girls had followed the boys, and the troll's footprints, deeper into the swamp.

"If I ever say 'hey let's go hang out in a swamp', remind me that I really fucking hate swamps" Musa complained, swatting a bug out of her face.

"Wait a minute" Bloom said, stopping abruptly, "the troll's footprints. Notice anything?"

"Yeah, I notice something; they're like a size thirty. Poor thing, he must have the hardest time shopping for shoes" Stella joked, earning nothing but side eye from Tecna.

"They get less and less deep as they go" Bloom said, choosing to ignore Stella's joke.

Musa looked ahead, noticing that Bloom was right. "They totally disappear up ahead. He like found a way to levi-walk so he could shake up our follow, you know?"

"The troll must have cast a spell" Flora said even if that didn't seem quite right to her. Which it clearly wasn't as Tecna pointed out to her that 'trolls cannot do that'. "Which means someone else is in the swamp" Bloom added.

"How can we find him without the footprints?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, we can't just call out 'here trolly, trolly, trolly'" Musa replied.

"Maybe the Voice of Nature can give us a clue" Bloom said.

"That's right; the Voice of Nature" Flora agreed, silencing the rest of the girls. After a minute or two of Flora and Bloom listening intently and looking around while the other three girls just stood there dumbly, Tecna had had enough. "Well? Did Mother Nature give you any advice?" she asked sarcastically. She had never been sarcastic in her life; Musa was clearly a horrible influence on her.

"He went that way" Bloom replied, not missing the hint of sarcasm in Tecna's voice, "through the thicket."

"Are you sure about that?" Stella asked. She was not a huge fan of heading into the thicket; it looked dark and dreary, and would definitely be full of mud and bugs.

"I know it looks all creepy over there but, something's telling me that's the right way" Bloom shrugged. Flora agreed with her, so Bloom started leading the way.

Musa let out a sigh. This was not how she had wanted the field exercise to go. She did cheer up a bit though when she heard Tecna softly say "Yoo hoo, nature, I am listening" behind her.

***

Turning back towards her friends, Flora motioned for them to stop. "Be very quiet" she whispered," I recognize these plants: Quietous Carnivorus. They hate noise"

"Really?" asked Stella, for some stupid reason not believing the fairy of nature, "let's see." She brought her fingers up to her mouth and whistled loudly. Waiting a beat, she shot Flora a smug look "see? Nothing happened." Stella had spoken too soon, though. Within a second, a vine was snaking its way around her ankles and pulling at her. The princess was left hanging by the ankles 8 feet above the ground; the tips of her long blond hair lying in the mud. She let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Stop screaming Stella" Bloom said, putting her hand over Stella's mouth. She looked over to Flora who was calming the plants by talking to them - would that really work? As it turns out, whatever Flora had said worked; the vine dropped Stella, who landed on her butt in the mud.

"I told you. No sudden noise, okay?" Flora said softly, with the slightest bit of a smug tone.

Stella stood up, brushing the mud off of herself and pouting. Somewhere in the distance, a voice could be heard yelling for help. Stella would have missed it if not for the fact that her friends had all started walking towards it. She followed them, still trying to get mud off her uniform.

"...so embarrassing if someone finds us like this" a familiar voice could be heard saying.

"Need a hand?" Stella laughed, happy to see she wasn't the only victim of the miserable plants.

"Stay away" Riven warned, "these vines belong to incredibly dangerous, blood-thirsty, man-eating, monster plants!" He felt the vines tighten around him. He would die of asphyxiation soon; not a great way to go. An even worse way now that she was here. If he was going to die in front of a beautiful girl, he'd like to at least die heroically.

Musa rolled her eyes. "They only eat loud-mouths so you should pipe down" she replied, giving Riven a flirtatious smile. She had to admit that she felt a bit of joy watching him struggle after how much of a jerk he'd been to Stella. She knew that Stella was a pain, but the fact remained that she was her friend and no one would be mean to her except Musa and the other girls.

"Everything's okay little plants; just relax" Flora cooed. The plants once again responded to Flora's soothing and quickly released the boys.

"Quick, let's get away from these things" Bloom whispered. No one objected and they moved as quickly, and quietly, as they could.

***

Once they were away from the Quietous Carnivorus, Brandon caught up to Bloom, taking her hand in his. "Hey, it's good to see you again Bloom" he whispered, not wanting anybody to hear them. That didn't work since Stella walked up to them and loudly said "hello, no need to whisper anymore; we got away, remember?"

Bloom, slightly miffed at Stella's interruption, suggested they look for the troll together citing 'safety in numbers' as the reason. Everyone knew the reason was actually about being around Brandon longer, but nobody pointed that out. Flora and Brandon agreed with her and that was that. Nobody else's opinion was asked. But Riven, being himself, had to argue. "No way I'm teaming up with these girls."

"You're on your own then buddy. And if you find the troll, just give us a shout" Sky laughed. Riven grunted and rolled his eyes in response, but he didn't put up any fight beyond that.

Musa slowed her pace and waited for Riven. "You know, we don't have cooties or whatever the hell you seem to be worried about" she said once he was beside her.

"Cooties? Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And we did manage to find you and get you away from the, what did you call them? 'Deadly man-eating plants'?" she jested, smiling up at him."We're not useless and we're not morons" she continued, adding on "except Stella sometimes" as an afterthought.

With that, she sped up to walk back to Flora and Tecna, turning around to say "Musa, by the way" with a flirty smile. And that was it. It was enough to leave him standing there staring at her, though. He noticed now how short the uniform she had on was; not super practical for walking through a swamp. Not that he was complaining. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The shortness of the uniform gave him the chance to appreciate her legs in all their glory, as opposed to the small glimpses he had gotten at the dance. He couldn't help but also notice that, despite the unflattering shorts, she had a great ass.

He was pulled away from his thoughts of her by Sky, who cleared his throat next to him and gave his friend a knowing look. "See anything you like?" Sky laughed. Riven sincerely wished Sky would get eaten by an alligator right now; the specialist had a way of getting under his skin that drove him nuts.

Sky thought it was quite amusing to see a girl have this effect on Riven. She couldn't have spoken more than 50 words to him and yet, he was completely speechless. It made Sky happy though; Riven was a bit rough around the edges, but Sky knew he had a good heart. He thought Musa was great, too. He'd only met her a week ago, but they had quickly realised that they shared a sense of humour and a love of terrible movies. They'd exchanged numbers at the dance and had had a steady text chain since then. Sure, most of the messages were just stupid memes, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he thought Musa would be great for Riven. The musical fairy had a strong enough character that she wouldn't be eclipsed by Riven, and she had enough joie de vivre that she could probably get him to mellow out a bit.

Turning back to his hopefully one day girlfriend, Sky cocked his head in Riven's direction. Stella, immediately understanding what he was pointing to, simply asked "you noticed it too?"

"Hard to miss with them not being able to take their eyes off each other earlier" Sky replied with a laugh.

"Not to mention the sexual tension so thick you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it" she said, laughing at the prince's expression when she said the word 'sexual'. Did he really think she was so innocent? Sure she may never have actually had sex, but that didn't mean she hadn't fooled around a bit.

***

"We will have to hop our way across." Tecna said, coming to a stop at the edge of a river. The only way across was to jump onto the clumps of dirt that Tecna hoped were solid enough to hold them; especially Sky and Riven, who she assumed to be the heaviest of the group.

"Be careful Tecna" Timmy said shyly. He believed she could do it, but he knew that there was a chance she'd fall in. "Thanks" she said before taking a leap.

Sticking the landing, Tecna looked back at her friends with a smile. "Come on guys, it is fun" she said, laughing as she jumped onto the next clumpature. Musa and Stella were the first to follow Tecna's lead.

Flora, Stella and Bloom all noted that the clumps were unsteady. "I believe the key to this whole enterprise is that you must keep moving. You must not stay still" she informed them before hopping forward.

The rest of the group, following Tecna's lead, made good progress. Stella was fairly confident, until she felt herself start to fall backwards on one of the clumps. Luckily, Sky was close enough to her that he managed to catch her. She really couldn't have planned it better if she'd tried. "Oh, thank you" she said, offering Sky a flirty smile.

"Hey, there's no Clumpatures nearby" Brandon shouted, "I guess this calls for a double-jump." Taking a huge leap, Brandon succeeded in landing onto the nearest clump.

"Nice one" Musa laughed, turning her head to look at Brandon.

Riven, who had just leapt off his clump, got distracted by her comment. Please tell me she's not flirting with not-a-prince charming, he thought. He had hoped she'd be smarter than that. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt his feet hit water instead of land.

Tecna, who was already on the other side of the river and the closest to Riven, reached out and grabbed his hands. "Got you. Hold on Riven" she cried. Unfortunately, her stance was not quite stable and the whirlpool that they'd failed to notice was incredibly strong. Tecna slowly started being pulled into the water with Riven. Luckily, Timmy had noticed this and managed to catch her by the ankles just as she was about to be pulled in.

"Gotcha! Don't worry, I'll get you outta here Tecna."

Brandon and Bloom were the next to join the rescue efforts, while Stella very helpfully yelled at them to "Heave! Heave!" Eventually, they were successful, pulling Tecna and a soaked Riven back onto the shore. The water made the already tight uniform cling to his body even more, but Musa found herself to be fine with that. She had the perfect opportunity to admire him while everyone was focused on dusting themselves off or checking on Tecna and Riven.

"Bet you're glad you teamed up with us girls now, aren't you Riven" joked Stella.

"Yeah, whatever; I would've gotten out. Come on, get up. Let's go already." He replied, brushing himself off.

"Come on, dude" Sky sighed, giving his friend a look that very clearly meant 'you could at least say thank you'.

"You are welcome" Tecna said to Riven's back.

"He's not all bad, you just have to get past the rough edges" Timmy explained to her. He knew Riven's reaction had been beyond rude, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't still piss him off, especially when it involved Tecna, but he knew Riven well enough to know the rudeness was just a front.

Riven, who had caught Sky's look, turned to Tecna and muttered a quick 'Thanks, Tecna'. Taking Timmy on his word that Riven could be a good guy, she accepted his thanks with a gracious smile.

***

They continued on their path for a while, not mentioning the troll on the loose. Tecna and Timmy remained at the very back, continuing the discussion about computer software they had started at the dance. Brandon and Bloom walked off to the side of the group, remaining in their own little bubble. Flora, Stella, Sky and Musa were talking about nothing in particular, while Riven remained silent at the front of the group, suppressing the urge to laugh anytime Musa made a joke, especially at Sky's expense. Did she have to be funny too?

A loud roar stopped Riven in his tracks causing Musa, who had been right behind him, to bump into him. The feel of her body against his, even for two seconds, was enough to send a jolt of energy through his body. He wouldn't know it, but she had felt that very same jolt go through her.

"That's our boy" Sky said, running in the direction of the roar. A girl's screaming could also be heard from the same direction. "That's Amaryl!" Bloom yelled, easily identifying the annoying fairy's voice.

"Don't worry, we'll get her outta there" Sky said, pushing through the last few bushes to get to the troll.

"That's the same troll who was working with Knut" Bloom said even though the boys already knew where the troll came from. "We've gotta do something before he turns those girls into fairy dust."

"All right everybody. I got a plan. Phase one: the girls distract the troll" Sky started. The girls stared at him in shock. Flora looked at Sky with wide eyes; he can't be serious, she thought. She could hear Musa muttering 'what the fuck' under her breath. Bloom let out a small squeal that might've been the word 'what' and Stella was, well, being Stella and cracking a joke at an inappropriate moment.

"I hope "The troll eats the girls" isn't phase two."

"No way" Sky laughed, whether at Stella's joke or the girls' reactions, Flora wasn't sure. "Cause Brandon and Timmy'll pin him down, then Riven and I jump in and slip the shackles on him."

"Sounds like a ... plan" Tecna managed to stutter out. This running into danger thing was happening again and Tecna did not like it. She had come to Alfea to study, not fight witches and monsters.

Stepping out of the bushes, the girls exchanged a look that probably meant something like 'I can't believe we're doing this'. The troll had his back to them, focused on Amaryl and her friends. He was as tall and ugly as Bloom remembered. "Hey there um... big guy. Remember us?" she heard herself say.

"Long time no see" Stella added nervously as the troll turned to face them, letting out a deafening roar. "Well, don't be a stranger. Get over here and pass out hugs."

The troll growled, charging at the five fairies. He couldn't have taken more than 3 steps before Brandon and Timmy grabbed his legs, effectively toppling him over. The girls jumped out of the way as fast as they could, not wanting to be trapped under him. Bloom and Stella, who had been the closest, were unfortunately still in the splash zone and ended up covered with even more mud. I might as well just toss myself in the mud and roll around like a pig, Stella thought with a sigh.

Sky and Riven charged in, ready with the shackles, but the troll was not going down without a fight. He thrashed under them and eventually succeeded in grabbing Riven's face. Musa had never wondered how big a troll's hand was, but she now knew it was large enough to hold a grown man's entire face. It was a shame he had to grab someone with a nice face; hopefully it wouldn't be too damaged.

Punches started flying, and somehow Timmy was the only one left holding onto the troll. "Hurry up you guys!" he yelled, struggling to keep the troll down. "I can't hold him!" Now, Timmy was a relatively strong guy, sure he didn't have Sky or Riven's muscles, but that didn't matter since no amount of muscle was going to hold a troll down alone.

The troll kicked Timmy off, and quickly got back on his feet. He had let go of Riven's face somewhere in the commotion and the specialist, along with Sky, now held onto his arms. The troll waved them around wildly trying to throw the boys off, eventually succeeding once their grip had started to loosen up. Taking a look around and surely sensing that he wasn't going to win, the troll ran off.

Brandon walked over to Timmy, who'd somehow ended up with the shackles on his arms. "Hey Timmy, you okay? At least we know these shackles still work" he joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Amaryl, to none of the girls' surprise, had to make a snarky comment. "I thought you guys went to school for Bravery not Botchery" she said with a sneer before running off. "That's the thanks we get" mumbled Sky. Sure, the troll had gotten away, but they'd still saved the girls.

***

Brandon sat on a log a few feet from her, head in hands. He looked so down, Bloom thought. She really hated seeing him like that; he was usually such a positive person. Maybe she could cheer him up. "Hey you" she said softly, taking a seat beside him.

"Bloom, what's up?"

"Don't let what those jerks said get you down. What you did back there was very brave" she said with a smile.

Looking up at her, Brandon was struck by how beautiful she was. Even today, with mud on her clothes and a small leaf stuck in her hair, and no makeup, she was the most gorgeous person he'd ever seen. He was still getting to know her, but he could tell that she had a kind soul. "Brave or not, the troll still got away" he sighed.

"You did what you could. Troll-wrangling is very difficult." At least, she assumed it was. She'd never actually tried wrangling a troll herself.

"Yeah, but we're sophomores and we should've been able to handle it. This was our first real assignment and we messed it up."

"But -" Bloom started before being cut off by arguing in the distance.

"Seems like the only thing we can do as a team is argue" Brandon said, looking over at Riven and Sky who were, once again, at each other's throats.

"What?! Don't point the finger at me Sky! I'm not the one who fucking shackled Timmy!" Riven yelled, getting up in Sky's face.

"Bro! You had the shackles!" the brunet replied defensively.

"ME?! You-" Riven started before being interrupted by Timmy.

"Knock it off you two! We all messed up, together!" yelled the redheaded specialist. He was so sick of those two arguing. Riven had a temper, that was a well known fact, but Sky was usually a pretty relaxed guy. Somehow, though, it seemed like Riven always managed to get a rise out of him. "Can you at least agree on that?"

Riven started to talk quietly, but Sky spoke over him. "Timmy's right. And we should at least agree to that point you guys." He knew they shouldn't be fighting; they should be catching a troll. "Don't you agree?" he finished, elbowing Riven.

The magenta haired specialist looked the prince over and rolled his eyes. He eventually laughed and conceded. Timmy then ordered them to shake hands and, not willing to start another argument, Riven and Sky turned to each other and did as they'd been told. "Well done guys" Timmy laughed.

Tecna, who had been watching quietly from a few feet away, was very impressed with how Timmy had handled the argument. He had kept his calm, spoken rationally and successfully organised a truce. That amount of level-headedness was something she admired; he wasn't letting his pride get the best of him like Riven and Sky had. Musa, on the other hand, was in complete awe at the way Riven's face lit up when he laughed. She hadn't thought it possible for perfection to get even better.

"Riven and I have called a truce" Sky announced to Brandon as he and Bloom rejoined the group.

"I'd prefer everlasting peace but I guess a truce is a good start" Brandon laughed.

***

"What do you hear now Bloom?" Brandon asked as they followed her into the forest.

"Well, it's not really a sound."

"Yeah Brandon, the Voice of Nature is something that you feel inside" Flora added, holding her hands over her heart.

"Ha, well I've been trying but I can't feel anything at all" Sky laughed.

"I cannot hear this Voice of Nature either. I am from a wired realm. But believe me, we can trust Bloom and Flora on this" Tecna said, smiling at her friends.

Bloom and Flora stopped causing Stella to knock into Brandon. She fell backwards and flailed her arms trying to stabilize herself, managing to grab Musa's collar and Flora's hair, pulling both of the girls down with her. The blond let out a loud groan; this was really not her day, she thought, once again having to brush mud off of herself. Flora pulled her hair out of Stella's hands, completely unbothered by the mud, while Musa knocked Stella's hand away from her while glaring at the blond.

"What?" Riven asked Bloom, resisting the urge to offer Musa his hand and help her up. And then maybe helping her brush off the mud so he could keep his hands on her a little bit longer.

"The feeling stops here" Bloom stated.

"So where's the troll?" Sky asked, pulling Stella and Musa up while Brandon helped Flora.

"Gone, but I sense something else, something cold."

"There's really negative energy in the air here" Stella agreed.

"I feel it too" Tecna confirmed, taking a look around."Like dark magic."

"So someone used dark magic to make the troll vanish?'

"But who?" Timmy asked, looking out at the forest to see if he could make out any silhouettes.

"Well we know the troll works for Knut, and we know Knut is the three witches' bitch" Musa replied. 

Brandon looked at her in surprise. "You think those three are the ones who shot us down?"

"Look" Bloom said, bending to pick up something. She held out two small purple feathers.

"Those look like duck feathers" Tecna observed.

"And isn't someone we know being stalked by a duck cause of a spell we put on her?" Bloom replied with a smirk.

The guys looked at each other. They had no idea what was going on, and Brandon was about to ask them to explain, but Musa beat him to it with one word: "Icy."

"Well there's not much else we can do then, I guess" Flora sighed. "And it's getting dark so we should just start heading back towards the crystal clearing and our class."

"We can give you a ride" Timmy said with a smile.

"How? Didn't your ship crash? Musa asked skeptically.

"It did, but before heading off, I managed to rewire it" Timmy explained, "I've already activated the auto pilot and sent it our coordinates; it should be here in a few minutes"

"You fucking rock Timmy" Riven laughed.

***

Once the ship had landed, Brandon and Sky led the girls on. Timmy, who followed the girls on wanted to say something to Tecna, but he had no idea what. He was really looking forward to get to know more about her, and he knew that Brandon and Sky wanting to be around Bloom and Stella meant that he'd get many more chances to talk to Tecna.

Riven made his way over to the ship when something shiny caught his eye. Reaching down to pick it up, he saw that it was a small silver necklace. He didn't really have time to look at it, but a quick inspection made him think it might be valuable. Pocketing the necklace, he made a mental note to take it to a jeweler to have it appraised before hitting up any pawn shops.

***

Most of the ride to the crystal clearing consisted of Stella complaining about the mud and how it would take her so long to wash it out of her hair. Riven was about ready to rip her tongue out so he wouldn't have to hear it when Musa spoke up. "Stella, please, just, shut the fuck up."

"How rude! I'm making conversation."

"Honestly, Stell, you're just being annoying" Musa sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Girls, please. Don't fight right now. We're tired and dirty and it's making you irritated. Please just stop" Flora reasoned. She wasn't in the mood for a Stella-Musa catfight right now. It baffled her how different and similar they were: Stella was girly as could be whereas Musa was much more of a tomboy, but both had a tendency to be prideful, sarcastic and temperamental.

Riven was a bit amused and very much annoyed. He hadn't expected her to be so not princess-y. He thought she'd be like Stella; obsessed with herself and her image, and he could just write her off. But she wasn't: she was funny and sarcastic, she had offered up some crass jokes earlier, and she hadn't been too bothered when she'd ended up covered in mud. He found that he enjoyed her personality and that made the situation he found himself in so much worse.

"There's our class" Bloom said, pointing out of one of the ships many windows.

"Aren't you boys gonna walk us to class?" Stella joked once they had landed and the girls were making their way off the ship. The boys, she noticed, had stopped at the door.

Musa and Riven's eyes met and she offered up a shy smile. Much like they had earlier, they continued staring at each other for a minute while the conversation went on around them. Riven could sense that Sky had noticed and would be teasing him about his obvious attraction to the girl, but he just couldn't help himself.

"Well..." Sky started, not knowing how to explain what he wanted to say and still make sense. Luckily, Brandon was speaking over him so he took that as an opportunity to observe the intense moment that was happening between Riven and Musa.

"We would, but we're, uh, not exactly allowed to leave the ship."

Ignoring her confusion, Bloom laughed. "No worries. We just hope you don't get grounded."

"See you" Tecna said to the boys, but more specifically to Timmy, as the boys walked back into the ship and took off.

"Girls, finally" Palladium cried. "What took you so long?"

"Well" Flora started, explaining that they'd been on their way when they noticed a Red Fountain ship falling towards the swamp so they'd tried to help the boys locate the troll that they'd lost during their crash by listening to the Voice of Nature to locate it.

"Well, your group is by far the last to arrive. And so, unfortunately, you receive a zero for punctuality" Palladium said, walking up to the girls. "However, fifteen points for generosity, twenty for initiative, twenty for courage and forty for your ability to listen to the Voice of Nature makes your score the highest in the class with a 95 out of 100."

"No fair! They were the last to get here" shrieked Amaryl.

"Yes, but I never said it was a race. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination" Palladium said with a laugh.

***

Walking out of their shared bathroom, Musa pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. After her shower, Tecna had gone to the library to get some studying in since she'd lost any planned time to the field exercise. Musa took that as a perfect opportunity to call her friend.

She grabbed her phone and dialed the number from memory. Cecilia took no time in answering since she, much like Tecna, was addicted to her phone. Changing their call to hologram mode, Musa saw her friend appear before her.

Cecilia could be described as Musa's almost polar physical opposite. Where Musa had very light skin, straight, dark hair and dark blue eyes, Cecilia had a beautiful tanned complexion, curly light gray, almost white, hair and striking light green eyes. Their only two physical similarities were in height - where Cecilia was only an inch taller than Musa's five foot four - and in the shape of their eyes - something that anyone of Melodian descent or partial Melodian descent - like Cecilia who's father was Linphean - had. Even in personality, they were quite opposite. Where Musa was temperamental, mildly impatient and stubborn, Cecilia was calm, endlessly patient and understanding; Musa was overly-sensitive and hid it, where Cecilia was harder to hurt and very open with her feelings - most of the time. Yes, they were almost completely different, except for a few very important things: a shared sense of humour, a passion for music, and a deep love and respect for one another.

Their mothers had been friends when they were at Alfea so they'd been introduced to each other at birth - Musa was just three weeks younger than Cecilia - and they'd been best friends ever since. Cecilia had been the one to hold her hand at her mother's funeral when her father was too distraught to notice that his daughter was hurting too, and she'd been the one to encourage her to start playing and singing again when she'd been too depressed to rebel against her father's crazy rules. 

Cecilia's parents owned a local music store and her father, William, had taught them to play numerous instruments. Musa had always had a refuge with them when her father's rules or palace life became too much.

"Hey bitch" Cecilia said, happy to hear from her friend, "nice of you to remember me."

"Cee" she laughed, "I called you last week after the dance and phones work both ways. You should know since you're always on yours."

"Whatever" Cecilia replied, rolling her eyes, but Musa knew she was joking from the grin plastered to her face.

"So...something happened today" Musa started.

"Dish."

"I met this guy..." she paused, knowing that her friend would react.

"WHAT? Tell me everything. EVERY. THING."

Musa told her about Riven; about the gorgeous shade of his violet eyes, the way his muscled moved under his Red Fountain uniform, about how he was a bit of a jerk but something told her there was a lot more to him. Cecilia stared at her, always with that same excited grin.

"Another jerk, surprising. Still though, I can't believe this! This is so excit-" she trailed off, smile fading, eyes moving down to Musa's neck. "Hey, M" she said apprehensively, "did you take the necklace off?"

"What?" Musa asked, her hand instinctively going to where the pendant usually rested on her chest. Her eyes went wide with shock when her hand touched bare skin. "Cee, I... uhm, I'll call you later" she stammered before hanging up.

***

Flora had been relaxing in bed with a book when she heard a noise. Looking over to Bloom, she saw that the fairy was fast asleep. She got up and slid her feet into the pink slippers at the edge of her bed, deciding to investigate.

Once she had softly closed their bedroom door, not wanting to wake Bloom, she looked around. It was silent now. She stood there, waiting for something to happen when she heard a soft crying coming from Musa and Tecna's room. She made her way over to the door; stopping to put on their kettle - she firmly believed a nice cup of tea could remedy almost any sadness or pain.

She knocked quietly before opening the door. Musa sat on the floor; her arms around her knees, which were tucked under chin. She looked up at the nature fairy, tears staining her dark blue eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Flora asked, closing the door behind her. Musa, unable to speak, simply brought her hand up to her chest, but Flora, not knowing about the necklace beyond its existence, didn't register the movement as significant. "I'm making tea, do you want a cup?" she offered, kneeling down beside her friend, who nodded with a sad smile.

***

Tecna quietly entered their dorm, noting that a light was visible under her bedroom door. The advantage to having a night owl as a roommate was that Tecna never had to worry about waking her if she was studying late. She made her way to the door and jumped a bit when it opened as she was reaching for the handle. Flora opened the door, light spilling out into the common room.

"Musa's a bit upset right now" the nature fairy whispered. "I was about to get us some tea, would you like a cup?"

"No, thank you" Tecna replied, looking over to her roommate who was still seated on the floor, knees up to her chest, head now leaning back to rest against her bed. Tecna gulped; she had never been good with emotions. She put her books down on her desk and walked over to her crying friend. Sitting beside her, Tecna put what she hoped was a comforting hand over Musa's hand. The musical fairy didn't look at her, but she did turn her hand to hold Tecna's, which Tecna took as a good sign.

Flora came back, holding two cups of tea and closed the door behind her. "Now sweetie" she said, putting the cups on the floor in front of them. "Tell us what happened."

Tecna, who'd seen pictures and videos of sleepovers online or in movies, got up and picked up their pillows and blankets, draping one of them over Musa's lap.

"I lost my necklace" Musa said quietly.

"Oh..." Flora replied, not too sure how to respond.

"It was my mother's" Musa continued, knowing very well that the girls had no idea of its significance.

"I am certain she will not be too upset if you explain that it was an accident" Tecna reasoned.

"Tec," Musa said sadly, "my mom died when I was 6."

Flora said nothing and simply reached a comforting arm around Musa's neck, so Tecna took that as a sign that she should do the same.

"It's the only thing of hers that I still have."

"The only thing?" Flora questioned, keeping her voice sympathetic. She found it hard to believe that Musa had no other souvenirs of her mother. Flora's grandmother had passed last year and her mother had refused to get rid of anything until she'd had a chance to comb over every possession and select the most valued and important.

Musa took a sip out of the tea that Flora had brought her: lemon and ginger, she hated ginger but she didn't say anything. With a sigh, she told her friends the story of her parents: how her mother had been a classical opera singer and her father the crown prince of Melody; how they'd met at one of her concerts and it had been love at first sight; how her father had given up his crown, and all ties to the royal family, to marry the woman of his dreams, who was a commoner. She told them about how they'd been a happy family, but not incredibly well off. Music, she explained, was not always the most stable career path. She told them about how her mother had gotten sick not long before her sixth birthday, and they'd not been able to afford her medication without sacrificing food or their home. She told them about how her mother refused to stop performing and ultimately exhausted herself, becoming bedridden for the last three weeks of her life.

Musa paused to take another sip of her tea and Tecna was shocked to find that she had started to tear up; she wasn't usually the one to cry easily. Once she'd swallowed the sip of tea, Musa continued. She told them that her father had become a shell of his former self after her mother passed; that he'd broken every instrument in their home; burned every piece of sheet music and record; threw out any and every thing that reminded him of his late wife, except the necklace that Musa had succeeded in saving; she'd picked it as it had been her mother's favourite. Finally, she told them of how her father had banned anything having to do with music, which he blamed for their loss. If they'd not followed their shared passion and had instead settled into something safer, they would have been able to afford her medication, he reasoned, and she'd still be with them.

"He couldn't look at me for more than few seconds for almost four years after she passed because I look so much like her. He still has trouble looking at me for more than a few minutes" Musa said quietly. "And now that the necklace is gone, it feels like I'm losing her all over again."

"Oh sweetie" Flora said softly, pulling Musa's head to rest on her chest, where the dark haired girl immediately burst into tears.

Tecna had never known loss; her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents were all alive. She could not imagine what Musa had gone through and how hard it must have been, especially if her father had been as withdrawn as she'd said. Instinctively, she laid her head against Musa's arm and gave her hand a tight squeeze. They stayed like that until Musa had stopped crying.

The three girls fell asleep, and in the morning when Bloom went looking for Flora, she found them curled up together on the floor, with both fairies holding Musa tightly.


	5. Date With Disaster

"Okey dokey, girls. Five hundred potatoes down" Flora said encouragingly.

"So that means only five hundred more to go" Tecna reminded them.

Bloom had wanted to make a good judgement potion, and had somehow managed to convince the girls to help her peel one thousand potatoes. Stella, though, was nowhere to be seen.

"You know what? I'll feel like a dork if this doesn't work" Bloom laughed.

"Well where did you find the formula?" Musa asked her, throwing a finished potato into her bowl.

"It was in Vanity Fairies new self-improvement guide, so I mean it should work" Bloom replied, "a thousand potatoes, a bushel of flipweed, a magic backflip, and you're making good decisions all the next day. It said good judgment is guaranteed."

The kitchen door opened behind her causing Bloom to give a startled squeak. Maestro Sfoglia looked around the kitchen, making sure to stop and glare at each one of the girls individually. The chef was a pudgy man, with thick blue hair and a handlebar moustache.

"I thought I heard itty-bitty voices. What are you girls doing my kitchen?"

"Working on an experiment project for potion class" Bloom lied.

"Look at this place, a mess" Maestro shouted, walking through the pots and bowls of potatoes that the girls had lying all over the place. Five hundred potatoes, even small potatoes, take a lot of space.

"The potions lab was signed out" Tecna explained.

"Relax, Maestro." Musa laughed, "Have a spud"

"My fingerling (1) potatoes! You're using my babies!" He cried.

Maestro turned around and was appalled to find that four of the burners had omelets. He didn't quite understand why they'd need hundreds of potatoes for a potion, but it could make sense. Four omelets, though, was definitely not a potion ingredient. "And what is this all about?"

"That's dinner" Flora replied cheerily, walking over to her omelet and giving it a flip.

"We got hungry" Bloom explained

"That is not how to cook" Maestro yelled.

Musa thought he needed to chill out a bit, poor guy was going to have a heart attack. "Hey, how hard can it be to make an omelet?" she asked, flipping her omelet and nearly missing.

"You have to show love to your food" he sighed. "You cannot neglect it. You must put passion into your cooking."

Bloom gave her omelet a toss, putting as much passion into the flip as she could. Unfortunately, she must have put a bit too much as the omelet ended up getting stuck on the ceiling fan. "Not that much passion" Maestro shouted.

"I guess I'll get a ladder" Bloom mumbled, scratching her head.

"Don't worry, I got it" Flora said, running over to the light switch. She flicked it a bit causing the ceiling fan to speed up. That was not what she had intended to do.

Musa had to admit that she thought the whole situation was kind of funny, so she decided to make up a rap about it to try to lighten the mood: "Go little omelet spinning like a DJ! Like it's your birthday! Like you got your biggest fan..."

"Knock it off" Maestro screamed. Once he had caught his breath, he turned to Musa: "I see you need instruction in singing as well as cooking. In the kitchen, opera is the music of choice, rap is for leftovers."

Flora finally managed to get the ceiling fan to stop, sending the omelet flying and landing directly on Maestro's face.

"Normally, I'd find this funny but as I am the one with the omelet on my face, I do not laugh!" he cried as he brought his apron up to wipe his face. "Now hurry up with this project. You might want to be done when the headmistress walks in here" he sighed before walking out of the kitchen.

"The flipweed is almost done" Flora said, opening the oven door.

"So what's the sit in the kitch, girls?" Stella said, finally making an appearance.

"The term 'fashionably late' can only be applied to social engagements, you know" Tecna informed her, not even looking up from her potato. Stella paid her no mind; she was far too excited to deal with Tecna's wiseass response.

"Yeah, I know I totally said I'd help but you're just gonna let me play a good excuse card today" she chuckled.

"Oh yeah, what's the excuse this time?" Bloom asked, giving the blond a small glance.

"I just received a late minute invitation."

"Another shoe of the month club?" Musa joked. They had all seen Stella's closet; she owned more of everything than any person could ever need.

"From Prince Sky" She informed them, ignoring Musa's wisecrack just like she'd ignored Tecna. "He invited me to some place called "The Black Lagoon Cafe" tonight!"

"Wow" Flora exclaimed, looking at the card Stella was showing off. A handwritten note, how romantic!

"A guy who knows you and still wants to see you?" Musa laughed. She couldn't help poking fun at the blond sometimes; it was just so easy.

"I've been trying to figure out what to wear but, I'm in desperate need of second opinions."

"Say no more" Bloom said, dropping her potato and knife and making her way up to their dorm. Musa and Tecna glanced at each other. Had she really just dropped all their hard work to go help Stella pick an outfit? That would take hours and they still had five hundred potatoes to peel.

"Stella, you've got so many clothes!" Bloom exclaimed.

"That's the problem" Stella sighed, "I need something really special, romantic"

Flora, who had been perusing Stella's closet, picked out a short black dress with balloon sleeves. "I'd wear this! Pure, classic elegance! It's perfect!"

"For a funeral, yes. For a date, I need a bit more pizzazz."

"How about this then?" Tecna said, pulling out a short purple dress with a dark blue triangle design and puffy blue faux fur around the collar, bottom and sleeves. Tecna was no fashion expert, but even she knew it was awful. "You are sure to make a lasting impression wearing this. How could you have bought something like that?"

"I didn't buy it" Stella replied.

"Someone gave it to you?" Tecna asked.

"I designed it!"

"In the dark?" Musa asked.

Bloom sensed a fight coming on, so she chose a dress that had caught her eye and suggested it. It was a short light blue dress with a criss-cross halter neck. Stella approved of it and quickly started getting changed.

"Will Brandon be there, too?" Bloom asked. If he was, maybe she could suggest a double date.

"No, Sky gave his servants the night off"

Had she really just said that? Bloom thought furiously. "Brandon is not Prince Sky's servant! The correct term is first royal squire!"

Stella, completely ignoring Bloom's objection, looked at herself in the mirror. "Talk to me about these heels. Too intense?"

"No, but they are not very practical" Tecna stated.

"Musa, be a dear and give me that green chest" Stella said, deciding she liked the shoes, even if they weren't 'practical'.

"Of course, your highness" Musa murmured, rolling her eyes and moving over to pick the green chest. It was much heavier than she had anticipated. "What's in there?" she asked, dropping the chest at Stella's feet.

"Oh, just a few accessories"

"Just a few?" Flora asked incredulously. Stella's chest contained more accessories than Flora's entire family had.

Stella pulled out a few bracelets and put them on. She dug through the chest a bit more before finally pulling out her ring case. "The ring of Solaria" she said, putting it on. Stella looked at her hand and contemplated for a minute. Eventually she settled on not wearing the ring and asked Bloom to hold onto it for her. The redhead looked at her in shock. "You're not going to wear it?"

"Nah, when I have it I tend to cast love spells before I know the guy. Besides, something tells me that I won't be needing any magic tonight." She replied dreamily. She couldn't wait to see Sky.

"I do not understand. Why do you let yourself get so charged up about seeing some guy?" Tecna asked, purposefully ignoring the fact that she would love for Timmy to ask her out. She hoped that Stella wouldn't have noticed how much she'd been admiring him or bring it up. Luckily, Stella didn't have the chance to reply since Musa was asking about a foul smell.

"That's stinky" Stella said, fanning herself to keep the smell away.

"It must be the flipweed!" exclaimed Tecna as Musa ran out of the room.

Musa pulled the dorm door open and bolted down the hall way. "Out of the way! Coming through! "she yelled, pushing aside one of the girls in their metamorphosis class and causing her stack of books to tumble to the ground. "Come on hurry up!" she called to the other girls behind her before continuing down the hall. She could faintly hear Stella yell out that they were not done and Bloom wishing her a good luck. "Have a good time!"

Flora ran after the girls, but she was the only one in heels and skirt and it slowed her down a bit. Rounding the corner, she noticed the fire extinguisher. "We'll need this" she said to no one in particular and stopped to remove it from its holster.

Bloom, Musa, and Tecna pushed the kitchen doors open. Black smoke covered every inch of the room and the horrible smell assaulted them tenfold.

"At least the flipweed is well done" Bloom joked, her voice coming out at a higher pitch since she was blocking her nose.

"Well and done are two words rarely used together whenever you girls are involved. I can't wait to hear the explanation for this one." a stern voice said behind them.

"What's up, Miss G?" Musa said guiltily.

Griselda waved her hands and said a quick spell, riding the kitchen of smoke and foul stench. She started recounting what the Maestro had told her, an unimpressed expression remaining fixed on her face. She never got to finish, though, because Flora came barreling through the door, tripping over her feet. The fire extinguisher tumbled out of her hand, spraying Griselda in the process.

"Since you're having such a good time in the kitchen, you can spend the rest of the night here, cooking dinner for the entire school" Griselda yelled before leaving the room.

"Fuck" Musa sighed before looking over at Bloom. "She didn't say that while we're here that -"

"That we couldn't still finish the potion?" Bloom replied, giving her a devious smile.

"So how do you think Stella's date is going?" Flora asked, sitting on Tecna's bed.

"Well she's not called any of us freaking out yet, so I'd assume well" Musa laughed.

***

Bloom entered the room, closing the door behind her. "I took the potion and it should start working in the morning" she announced with a smile.

"How exciting" Flora said with a yawn. Peeling all those potatoes and then making supper for the whole school had exhausted her, but the girls had decided to have a gab session while waiting for Stella to come back from her date and she didn't want to miss that. "So are there any boys that have caught your attentions?"

She already knew that all of her friends had found boys to crush on; she was just pushing for them to admit it. She thought that maybe without Stella around, they'd be more willing to let their feelings out. As much as Flora loved Stella, the blond had a tendency to be a bit careless and the girls were a bit less willing to admit anything that could embarrass them around her.

The girls looked at each other, wondering who would be the first to admit she had a crush on someone. After a few minutes of silence, Bloom decided that she would take the jump. "Well, Brandon is really cute and sweet."

"He is, and he seems to really like you" Flora said encouragingly, but Bloom was not really the friend she was hoping to get information out of; her crush on Brandon was a well known fact in their group. "What about you Tecna?"

"Oh, uhm, well, I suppose Timmy is... attractive and intelligent and kind and funny and -"

"Oh Tecna" Bloom sighed, "You and Timmy would be so wonderful together."

"A match made in nerd heaven" Musa agreed.

"We are not nerds" Tecna said indignantly. She relented, however, when she noticed Musa was laughing at her reaction. "It was a joke"

"Yes, Tec, it was a joke. You know I love your nerdiness."

"I just do not understand him sometimes. We get along great and have many similar interests, but he does not seem interested."

"I'm sure that's not it, sweetie. Timmy is a shy guy. Maybe you should just ask him out?" Flora said, adjusting herself to lie on the bed.

They talked about Tecna and Timmy's possible relationship for a bit longer; the purple haired girl blushing furiously the whole time. Finally, the moment Musa had been dreading arrived when Bloom turned to look at her and said: "what about you, Musa?" She was about to deny liking anyone when she caught Flora's eye. The nature fairy gave her an encouraging smile and a knowing look, so she sucked it up.

"Okay... you guys can't judge me for this, but I...well... I might like Riven a teensy bit"

"But he was mega rude last week!" Bloom pointed out.

"Well, I did read that some boys will act rude when they are crushing" Tecna said, giving Musa a smile.

Much like they had with Tecna, the girls spent some time dissecting Musa's possible relationship with Riven. Eventually the conversation moved away from them, much to Musa's relief, and switched to ideal first dates, then school, then general gossip.

Flora looked at the clock by Tecna's bed. It was almost 10:30, no wonder she was so tired. Pushing herself off the bed, she told the girls that it was late and she was heading to bed. Bloom agreed that that was a good idea and got up to head to their room with her.

"Can you believe Musa likes Riven?" Bloom whispered to her once they were in their room. "She's so nice, who would've thought that she'd like that complete jackass."

"He might not be as bad as you think. Brandon, Sky and Timmy are friends with him, so he must have some redeeming qualities. Plus, I noticed him watching Musa in Black Mud Swamp so I think her feelings, or at least her intrigue, might be reciprocated."

***

A loud crash jerked Flora awake. She looked over to see that it had also woken Bloom so she probably hadn't imagined it. "What's going on? You hear that?"

"Is that Stella?"

"She didn't wake us up last night. I wonder how the date went?"

Bloom realised Flora was right; Stella was supposed to come wake them when she got back from her date with Sky. They were going to camp out in the common room and break down the details of the date while munching on candy. A loud scream that was very clearly Stella's voice rang through the dorm. "Doesn't sound like it went too well. Come on, let's get the scoop."

Flora pulled on her bathrobe and followed Bloom out into the common room. Musa and Tecna had also been woken up by Stella's fit and were making their way out of their shared room. Musa, who was not a morning person to begin with, did not look happy to be woken up by such a ruckus.

"Stella , everything alright?" Bloom knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, Stella cracked the door open and stuck her head out. "Hiya, what's up?"

"We were going to ask that" Tecna replied. "What are you doing in there? What is with all the noise?"

"Oh, nothing. Just...just doing a little cleaning; a little reorganizing."

"So what time did you get in last night? We didn't hear you." Bloom asked, deciding to switch topics since Stella was clearly avoiding this one.

"How did the date go? We expect every detail" Flora winked.

"I got in late and the date went fine, okay?" Stella replied brusquely, trying to close the door.

"Wait, you're not getting off that easy. C'mon tell, tell!" Bloom encouraged.

"Uh, it was very romantic..." Stella replied, once again attempting to close the door.

Bloom wasn't giving up that easily though."Did he walk you home? Did he kiss you good night?"

"Ugh come on! Don't you people have your own lives!? How fucking pathetic!" Stella slammed the door shut.

Stella's attitude had pissed Musa off. The small fairy was not one to let people insult or push her around easily so the sun fairy's words had put her in a foul mood. "I'll show her pathetic." Musa balled her hands into fists and took a step towards Stella's door, ready to give the blond a piece of her mind, when she felt a hand on her arm. "Take it easy, Musa. Let's leave her alone" Bloom said with a sigh.

***

Wizgiz taught them to transform their heads into pumpkins that class. Musa couldn't think of a single moment where having a pumpkin head might be useful to her, but it seemed easy enough so she didn't complain. She was actually kind of thankful that today's class would be an easy one since Stella's temper tantrum had woken them this morning and she was not in a good mood today.

"For our first full body transformation tomorrow, we'll keep it simple and easy. You'll be transforming into slugs" Wizgiz said, dismissing the class.

"Guess Little Miss All-That decided not to come to class" Musa rolled her eyes.

"Something must of really troubling her. I hope she's okay." Flora said. That was so like her, Musa thought, to just assume something was wrong if someone was being a bitch.

"Who cares?" Tecna replied. "She was beyond rude this morning!"

"I know, Tecna. But still."

"She's our friend" Bloom reminded them, "Something's up. Let me go check on her real quick."

"You're the one with the good judgment." Musa sighed; she was not about to waste her time trying to make Stella feel better.

***

Bloom ran up to their dorm and pushed the door open, calling out for her friend. She was shocked when she saw what awaited her in the dorm though. The entire place was torn apart: plants lay on the floor, their pots cracked into tiny pieces; lamps had been thrown across the room; the decorative rug Stella had bought was upside down; the ceiling lamp was hanging a foot lower than it usually did; and she had cracked the window that led to their balcony. This would not be fun to explain to Griselda and Faragonda, but Bloom could worry about that later. For now, she had to find her friend.

Calling out to her again, she pushed open the door to Stella's room. Much like their common room, it was completely destroyed: bed torn apart, school books all over the floor and clothes thrown all over the place. That was when Bloom knew something was definitely wrong; Stella would never throw her 'one-of-a-kind' designer clothes on the floor. She'd almost gone berserk on Musa once for uncaringly tossing one of her dresses on the bed because 'it wrinkles so easily and has to be handled with care'. That same dress now lay in a heap on the floor.

Not finding Stella, she moved on to her and Flora's room. Once again, it looked like a tornado had gone through. Flora would not be happy to see that Stella had knocked over or dug up her plants. Dug up? Bloom thought, Stella would never willingly put her hands in dirt. Bloom looked around and, though she saw plenty of mess, she saw no Stella.

She moved on to Musa and Tecna's room. It, much like the others, was a disaster. Flora would have partners in her anger, Bloom noted, looking at Tecna's destroyed computer equipment and video games, and Musa's smashed guitar, record collection and torn apart song books. She heard a door close behind her. "Well, welcome to the party, Bloom."

Bloom turned around to see Stella walking towards her. She looked angry. "Hey we...we were uh...worried about you Stella."

"Really? How sweet. Now, I'm looking for something and I need your help" Stella said, noticing the fear and concern in the redhead's eyes she asked: "what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Just chill out!"

The blond grabbed a computer chair and threw it across the room."Bloom, I'm not in the mood!"

"Look if you're date didn't go well, I mean, don't take it out on-"

'I wanna know where my magic ring is, Bloom. And you're gonna tell me right now!"

"I don't have to tell you, I've got it! You gave it to me last night, you said to keep an eye on it."

"You've got the ring!? Well, hand it over you little bitch."

***

Flora had suggested they wait for Bloom outside Palladium's classroom and go check on her if she wasn't back in five minutes. Musa and Tecna had reluctantly agreed to Flora's idea, mostly for Bloom's sake. If Stella was in as bad a mood as she'd been in this morning, or an even worse mood, who knew what she'd do.

After a few minutes of waiting, Flora decided that that was enough. Leading the way to their dorm, she heard something crashing. "That didn't sound good. Bloom might be in trouble." Flora threw open the doors and made her way towards her room, motioning to the girls to check the other two.

"She's in here!" Musa yelled to Flora and Tecna after watching Stella throw some sort of dark orb at Bloom, which was quickly followed by Stella jumping out of a closed window.

Upon entering their bedroom, Musa and Tecna were enraged to see that Stella had destroyed their stuff. Musa, always quick to throw insults, didn't hold back until Flora softly reprimanded her, pointing out that they had bigger concerns at the moment and asking Bloom to tell them what had happened.

"She threw the chair at you?" Tecna cried after Bloom told them what had happened.

"No she threw the chair at the wall" Bloom replied calmly.

"She threw a raging witch ball at Bloom" Flora said, repeating the end of Bloom's story.

"Oh, well, that's better." Musa rolled her eyes.

"Why is she being such a fuddy?" Flora had always been one to believe the best in people but she knew when to admit that something was crossing a line.

"Really Flo?" Musa said, giving the fairy a bemused look. "A fuddy? There are so many better words: bitch, cunt... bitch"

"There is a technical term for the way she is acting" Tecna informed them: "crazy"

"Yeah, crazy" Musa laughed, "still better than a fuddy"

"You know I don't like swearing, Musa" Flora replied.

"I think there's more to it than that. She's in danger" Bloom interrupted, bringing the conversation back to Stella. She moved to the hole that Stella had left in the window. "I don't know what kind of danger but my new powers of judgement are telling me we have to do something"

Musa looked over at Bloom from her spot on her bed."I don't understand why we have to do anything? If she wants to act like a stuck up bitch that's her deal"

"But what if she's being forced to act against her will? She could have some sort of spell on her" Flora reasoned.

"That's what I'm saying! Look, we've gotta work together you know to solve this mystery" Bloom turned back to Musa and Tecna, hoping they saw to reason.

"Okay Bloom but how?" Tecna asked.

"Well obviously this has something to do with last night" Flora said.

Bloom nodded in agreement. "She was fine before she went out." Bloom led the way to Stella's bedroom to look for clues, but with how torn up and messy the room was, she wasn't entirely sure they'd find anything useful.

"So what happened?" Tecna asked, still not certain how they were going to help Stella if they had no idea what happened or where she even was.

Musa walked around Stella's room a few times, not seeing anything other than piles and piles of clothes. When Stella got back to normal, she'd be furious to find out that she'd trashed her entire closet. She kicked a pile of clothes and found a card at the bottom. Picking it up, she turned to the girls and showed it to them. "Why don't we find out from suspect number one, Prince Sky of Eraklyon. Here's the invitation."

***

Musa had offered to text or call Sky, but Bloom thought it would be easier to tell if he was telling the truth in person. The girls all knew Bloom was hoping to be able to see Brandon too, and honestly, Musa didn't mind since it was a chance to see Riven too.

They found Sky training in Red Fountain's southern yard. None of the girls had ever actually set foot in the school, so they were happy to find a freshman that was willing to bring them to where he'd last seen the prince. Sure, he had hit on all the girls on the way there, but it was better than wandering around the school aimlessly.

Sky was happy to see them, but he had to admit to being disappointed that Stella wasn't with them. As much as he liked the other girls, she was the one he wanted to be with. He knew there were certain circumstances that complicated things, but he was so taken by her that he was willing to throw caution to the wind.

Sky leaned against the castle wall while Bloom went on about some date he'd apparently had with Stella and how she'd come back acting odd. He had no idea what they were talking about, which he told them as nicely as he could, much to Flora's shock."Not that I wouldn't ask her out" he explained "but ever since that little incident with the troll and the swamp we haven't been allowed to leave campus, so uh, that makes dating a little difficult."

The girls looked at each other in confusion. How could Sky ask Stella out if he was stuck on campus? Bloom looked at the invitation again and, just as it had the other three hundred times she'd read it, it was signed Prince Sky.

"Wait, what's that in your hand?" Sky asked, noticing the paper that Bloom was reading.

"Your invitation" Flora replied, as if he should already know what it was.

"What does it say?" Sky asked, taking the paper from Bloom's outstretched hand.

***

Riven turned a corner and felt like he'd been handed a gift from the gods when he heard Sky ask that question. He supposed you could refer to the Prince as his 'friend' but he couldn't help himself whenever an opportunity to make fun of him presented itself; it was just so easy."Sky spent so much time on his royal throne he never learned how to read"

Bloom knew that Musa liked him, but she thought Riven was so annoying. Maybe she'd grow to like him too, but he sure didn't make it easy. "Laugh away Riven cause nobody else is going to."

Riven hadn't actually been paying attention to who Sky was talking to and was vexed to see those damn pixies here. Why did they have to be everywhere? Specifically, why did she have to be everywhere? School dances were one thing, but then the swamp and now here at Red Fountain. It was bad enough he had to see her in his dreams every night, but if he had to see her while he was awake in places she shouldn't be, he might actually go insane. He had to get away so he avoided her eyes at all costs - he knew once he caught them he'd be stuck there until something drew either of their attentions away.

Tecna hadn't been paying attention to what was happening around her; she had been too focused on trying to figure out what had happened to Stella. At first, she'd thought it rather simple: Stella had had a bad date and was taking out her frustration on them, but then the thing with asking Bloom where her ring was and jumping out the window after having thrown a dark spell at Bloom made it clear that her original hypothesis had been grossly incorrect. And now Sky was saying that he'd not sent the invitation, so obviously someone had tricked her. She only turned her attention back to the world around her when she felt something put pressure on her torso. The pressure, it turned out, was from the front paws of a medium to large sized white dog. Tecna hadn't had much experience with animals; back on Zenith, they kept robot animals as pets so live ones still freaked her out a bit. "Yes, that is a good little canine. Go away..."

"They don't actually have animals where you come from do they, Tecna?" Sky laughed.

"Lady! Come sit girl" a gentle male voice called out.

"She ignores everyone but Brandon. He's her favorite." Sky explained.

Bloom had secretly been hoping that Brandon would be around Sky, but that didn't stop the butterflies that started fluttering around her stomach the minute she heard his voice. She had come to Magix to study, not fall for a handsome squire, but as long as she was here, she saw no harm in a bit of romance. Besides, even if she'd tried, she wouldn't be able to get Brandon's honey blond hair and bright blue eyes out of her mind. "Hey there Brandon..."

Brandon looked up at her. He wanted to hug her, but he wasn't sure it was appropriate. He wanted to kiss her and hold onto her forever, or at least tell her that she was the most magnificent person he'd ever met, but maybe when they were alone. Instead, he managed a shy smile and a nervous 'Hi Bloom'. He mentally kicked himself; why did she make him so nervous? He wanted to say more, but a gruff voice with a thick accent stopped him.

"Less flirting, more fighting, boys! You're not in manner school, you're in heroic school! Now get back to your practice and then finish cleaning those stables!"

They all looked up at the terrifying man that stood on the balcony above them. He looked like he could easily crush any of the girls with his bare hands."You got it professor, right away!" Sky and Brandon said in unison, saluting the large man, then turning to wish the girls good luck before walking away.

Once the boys had gone, Flora turned back to the girls. "What now?"

"We head to Magix" Bloom answered simply.

***

"So you think Stella is here somewhere?" Tecna asked Bloom as she stepped off the bus.

"I think Stella could be anywhere at this point!"

"Then why are we starting with the city?" It seemed to Flora that this would be the hardest place to find Stella, but she was trusting Bloom's good judgement.

"Because of the Black Lagoon, remember? That's where she was supposed to go last night. Maybe they'll be able to help us there!"

Tecna pulled out her phone. "Using my search program, we will be able to find it in a flash. A quick scan using the synchronic map and voila" she explained, showing them the holographic map of Magix city that she'd created. She typed 'black lagoon' into her search bar and waited. Her map was covered by a microscope while it searched, but the microscope was quickly replaced by a large 'X'. "Hm, strange... no sign of the Black Lagoon."

"That is strange" Bloom agreed. "Now let's try my search program."

"You have one too? How does it work?" Tecna sounded a bit too excited about another search program, Musa thought, but it made her nerdy roommate all the more endearing to her.

"Check this out!" Bloom walked over to a man who had been passing by. "Excuse me sir, I'm looking for the Black Lagoon."

The man told her he'd never heard of the place, so Bloom thanked him for stopping and turned back to the girls. "See how easy it is." The girls spent the better part of the next hour and a half asking every single person that was willing to stop for them, but nobody seemed to have heard of the place. Eventually, they sat down on a street corner for a break.

"My feet are killing me" Flora complained, rubbing her heel.

"I don't understand! How could nobody in Magix have heard of this place?" Bloom cried in frustration.

"Maybe someone just played a joke on Stella and put her in a bad mood" Musa shrugged.

"You know, I think Musa is right" Tecna agreed with a sigh, "we should just go back to Alfea."

Bloom, however, wasn't willing to give up that easily. "No, just give me a minute to think."

"Bloom, just because you took that potion does not mean you are in charge" Tecna reminded her.

"I'm sorry if I care about our friend" Bloom screamed.

Flora was about to reprimand them for fighting when they should be working together to find Stella, but a strange man walked up to them before she'd had a chance to put her foot down.

"Did you I just hear you cats say you were looking for the Black Lagoon Cafe? Wow, man! That joint is like the hippest! You know, what I'm sayin'? It's like totally underground! You cats have got to check it out, though maybe you're not cool enough."

"What?" Tecna had no idea what the man had just said. Why was he calling them 'cats' when they were very clearly people?

"We're cool! We're super cool!" Bloom said, getting up to stand beside the man.

Musa joined her. "Yeah, we rock! We were hip when hip wasn't hip! Now, come on you gotta tell us where this place is!"

"Hey, I was just had to make sure" the man laughed, "You know how it is! You gals are all right! Just take shoot down this street there, follow it all the way out of town, cross the river and you're there! It's a little cottage near an orange oak tree."

"Awesome! Thank you so -" Bloom started, turning back to the man, but he wasn't there, "much..."

***

"The directions were right! Here's the big oak tree. And there's the Black Lagoon." Bloom smiled. The girls had followed the strange man's directions and eventually found themselves in front of a tall orange oak and a quaint cafe. And though Flora was happy they might be one step closer to finding out what happened to Stella, she couldn't help but feel something was off.

Musa looked around the cafe and thought it odd that no one was around. She reasoned that they didn't advertise and it wasn't lunch or supper time so they must not have many customers right now. She turned to Tecna and gave a small laugh. "When we get back to Alfea, don't forget to update your search program."

"My program works very well; it is this place that is wrong!" Tecna retorted. Her program had never been wrong, even with the most obscure information. If it existed, she'd been able to find out about it. Not being able to find the cafe in her program made her suspicious enough, but now that she was here, her gut told her something else was wrong.

"I agree with Tecna, this place is very, very wrong." Flora walked over to the large oak and gently placed her hand on it. A wonderful advantage to her powers was that she could communicate with plants and sense what they needed to live. "This tree isn't giving off life force. It's..."

"It's what?" Bloom asked.

"It's dead and it's been that way for a really long time."

"You're sure about that?" Bloom had to admit to herself that it was odd that no one had been able to tell them where the cafe was except one strange man. She'd been so focused on finding Stella that she hadn't been listening to her good judgement.

"Positive" Flora replied.

The girls looked at each other. No one knew what to say or how to make heads or tails of the situation, or worse, what to do next. Just then, a strong gust of wind blew the cafe door off its hinges and shook the tree so strongly its 'leaves' all blew away. The girls shielded their eyes from the strong gust and when they opened them, the entire scene had changed. What had been a charming, quaint cottage was now an old, dilapidated building. The green grass that had seemed freshly cut was now severely overgrown, reaching Flora's knees and the middle of Musa's thigh. (2)

"I dug the illusion better" Musa said dryly.

"Yeah... well, there's no sense in turning back at this point, right?" Bloom said making her way into the abandoned cottage.

"For the record, whose idea was it to come in here anyway again?" Tecna asked, taking in the building. There were cracks in the walls and floors, and what little furniture was left was scattered about the room haphazardly. It definitely wasn't up to code.

"Do you think we should get out of here?" Flora asked.

"If Bloom said it was the right move then it has to be the right move" Musa replied uncertainly.

"It's about time you showed up" Stella said, walking out of the shadows. "Welcome."

The blond fairy snapped her fingers and the main door closed behind them. A thick slab of wood dropped onto the waiting supports, locking them in.

"Now, if you girls don't mind, I'm taking my ring back! And while I'm at it, I'm gonna teach you little pixies a lesson." Stella flew upwards, taking in the terrified fairies below her.

"What the fuck did she just call us?" Musa asked no one in particular.

"Stella, your aura is very negative right now" Flora said.

Stella cackled and brought her hand up to her side, releasing a ball of energy that went flying towards the fairies. The girls dispersed; Musa and Tecna taking refuge behind a fallen table, Bloom and Flora hiding behind one of the structures large pillars. Stella continued throwing attacks at the pillar and Musa could make out the sound of the wood splintering. "Their cover's not gonna last long."

"Do not worry; I will take care of it" Tecna replied. She transformed with a quick burst of light and pulled up her shield. Stella took her focus off of the pillar momentarily in order to attack Tecna, but the shield held up. Once at the pillar, Flora and Bloom took cover behind her and the three girls quickly ran back to the table.

"Ready to surrender?" Stella laughed.

"That's enough, I'm sick of being her target" Musa cried, getting ready to transform.

"No, Musa don't react, we can't hurt Stella" Flora reminded her.

"But that's not Stella" Bloom said, eyes growing wide, "She has no powers without her ring, and she would never call us pixies." Standing up to face Stella, Bloom yelled out:"Alright, enough fooling around!"

"Right you are, little fairy. Time to shed the disguise and be myself again." A dark light glowed around her and 'Stella' revealed herself to be Darcy. She gave a quick wave of her hand and Stormy and Icy appeared. The fairies shared a nod and within seconds, all of them had transformed.

"What have you witches done with Stella?" Bloom demanded.

"She's right here" Icy replied, waving her hand above her head to reveal a floating Stella. Rings of light surrounded her, restraining her. She looked down at her friends with a grimace. "Sorry girls. The witches tricked me."

"Don't worry Stella, just hang in there." Bloom replied, turning her attention back to the witches. "You better let her go now."

"We will Bloom..." Icy cackled, "just as soon as you give us the Ring of Solaria. And you better hurry up, 'cause that portal coil up there will keep squeezing her tighter and tighter until she goes pop!"

"Just like a big fat zit" Darcy added.

"She's gonna be splattered all over the wall!" Stormy said gleefully.

"Time's running out. So what's it gonna to be Bloom? Stella or the ring?" Icy smiled maniacally.

"Bloom, don't give it to them" Stella yelled, struggling against the rings that were getting tighter by the second.

Flora, Tecna and Musa were all for fighting the witches, but Bloom's gut told her otherwise. They could always get the ring back somehow, but they couldn't replace Stella. "Everybody stop! The wings are coming off!" She powered down, earning confused looks from her friends. "We can't put Stella in anymore danger" she explained.

Pulling out the ring, she tossed it to the witches "You guys win this time."

"Good decision. I knew we could count on the soft heart of a fairy." Icy snapped her fingers, releasing Stella from the rings and dropping her to the ground.

Bloom ran to help Stella up as the witches vanished. Flora ran to Bloom and put her arm around Stella, while Musa and Tecna opened the door. Once outside, they laid Stella on the bridge to rest as she assured them that all she needed was a little bit of sunshine.

"That was a good decision Bloom" Musa agreed after Bloom had explained why she'd given them the ring.

"Yeah, seriously. I wish I had taken some of that potion last night." Stella sighed.

"Then you might have known not to go out on a date"

"Hey, you know what?" Bloom laughed. "Last night, I almost forgot to mix in the mandrake beet. Who knows what would have happened?"

"No, wait. You are supposed to mix in a mandrake root not a beet" Tecna corrected.

"Wait, she got the potion wrong. You know what this means?" Flora said with a smile.

"I sure do Flora. This totally rules!" Bloom replied, pumping her fist in the air. "I'm a natural good decision maker!"

"You didn't need the potion; just thinking you took it gave you confidence." Flora said, putting her hand on Bloom's shoulder.

"You know girls, the witches may have scored a goal but they haven't won the game" Bloom said, reaching down to help Stella stand up.

"What game?" Tecna had no idea what that meant.

"It's an expression Tecna." Stella said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry. We're gonna get that ring back!" Bloom said with determination as she stepped off the bridge.

"That's a secondary problem for the moment" Musa pointed out, earning a confused look from Bloom. "How are we going to explain the disaster that is our dorm?"

***

The girls entered their dorm, which was still a mess. It was a miracle that none of the teachers had noticed the broken window, especially since their dorm faced onto the main quad. On their way back to school, the girls had agreed that the best way to avoid punishment was to break more rules and use magic to try to return everything to its former state. Tecna immediately threw herself into searching for a spell in her books once they'd arrived while the other girls tried to clean what they could without magic.

Stella, who had no idea what to expect, was outraged when she saw what Darcy had done to her closet, swearing revenge on the witch for it. "And for tricking you and getting your ring?" Musa asked, clearly amused that Stella's priority was on her closet.

Within an hour of getting to the dorm, Tecna had succeeded in finding a spell to repair any damage to the room and its contents. Converging their magic, they succeeded in restoring their stuff, including Musa's guitar, Tecna's computer equipment and Flora's pots.

"Well, thank the gods that has been taken care of" Tecna said, flopping onto the couch.

"Agreed" Flora sighed taking a seat beside the purple haired fairy. She looked over to Stella who had been unnaturally quiet since her outburst about the state of her closet over forty minutes ago. "Stella, sweetie, are you okay?"

Stella sat on her knees on the floor before them and gave a small shudder. "I feel like such an idiot. I mean, I know I'm not Tecna or Musa smart, but I should've known it was a trap." Bloom sat beside her and rested her head on Stella's shoulder as the blond continued: "My mistake led you girls into a dangerous situation and lost me my ring."

"Stella, it's not your fault" Bloom said.

"And how could you have known, or even thought, it was a trap? Sky likes you and told us straight up that he'd be happy to go out with you." Musa smiled at the sun fairy.

"Did he really say that?" Stella asked, brightening up a bit.

"He did" Flora confirmed. "Don't be so hard on yourself sweetie, none of us would've been able to tell it was a trick either."

The girls talked for a bit longer before deciding that they should head to bed. Musa had been about to fall asleep when she heard he phone vibrate.

_Sky: Hey, so your visit today got me thinking. I can't leave campus but I can have people over... so what do you think of getting together for some horror movies tomorrow evening?_

_Musa: Sounds fine to me, but are you sure you won't get in trouble? I don't think you want to be grounded for too much longer._

_Sky: Yeah, don't worry about that._

_Sky: Also, don't tell Stella about it. I kind of want to talk to you about her and I don't want her to get nosy or suspicious._

_Musa: uhhh... everything okay with her?_

_Sky: Yeah yeah, I mean, fine considering the fake date invite... BTW, did you find her? What happened?_

_Musa: We found her, she's okay. Will explain tomorrow._

***

Stella lay in her bed, tossing and turning. She was exhausted; after all, she'd not really slept much last night what with being the witches' captive, but she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. She kept thinking about the danger she'd put her friends in and felt completely horrible.

She looked over at the clock on her nightstand: 1:26 AM. She needed to get some sleep; her alarm would be going off in five and a half hours and she didn't want to be exhausted for class tomorrow (or today?). She slid her legs over the side of her bed. Maybe Flora would have some sort of tea that would help her sleep.

She quietly slipped into Flora and Bloom's room and gave the nature fairy a small shake. Flora groaned in response and opened her eyes, waiting a few seconds before they adjusted to the dark. "Stella, it's the middle of the night. Is everything okay?"

"I can't sleep. I was hoping you knew something that could help me."

"Of course, come on." Flora replied, pushing herself out of bed and making her way to the common room as quietly as possible so as not to wake Bloom.

Stella sat on the couch as Flora mixed an assortment of herbs into what she called her 'grandma's secret sleepy time tea'. She thought it was wonderful that Flora's family had passed down these secret recipes and traditions. Even if her family was broken, she thought family was important. In fact, her family being broken made her believe it so much more. All the girls seemed to come from loving families and hers was a wreck; it was just so unfair.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Flora asked gently, handing Stella her tea.

"Just the same stuff we were talking about earlier today. I just can't shake this horrible guilt that you girls were at risk for a stupid boy."

"I thought you really liked Sky?"

"I do; he's wonderful and handsome and funny and sweet and... handsome. He's so fucking handsome. You know, I think I would like him even if he weren't a prince. But that doesn't change the fact that no boy is worth risking your friends' lives for."

Flora sighed, unsure of how to help her friend. "You know, there's no reason for you to feel guilty. None of us got hurt and we all willingly went looking for you. It's not as if we were forced to go."

"But you shouldn't have needed to go looking for me in the first place."

"Don't be silly. Like we said, there's no way you could have known it was a trick. And you would've done the same thing had any of us been in your situation, so there's no point in arguing about it."

Stella sighed and gave Flora a nod. Her soft spoken friend was right; Stella would not have thought twice about walking into a dangerous situation for any of the people she cared for.

After setting her now empty cup down, Stella leaned over to give Flora a tight hug. "Thank you for being such a good friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I can't actually make out what he says, so I just went with a variety of small potato that I know.
> 
> (2) In my world, Flora is the tallest of the girls, at approximately 5'8", and Musa is the shortest at approximately 5'2". Tecna and Bloom are about 5'5" and Stella is 5'6".


	6. Secret Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit that I had to go over this chapter multiple times to make sure that I referred to Brandon as Sky and vice versa lol
> 
> I flipped some of the scenes: in the show, they talk about the ring and mention getting it back, Bloom meets with Faragonda and then they go back to talking about getting the ring back. It just seemed odd to me so I switched the conversation with Faragonda to after the girls' talk.
> 
> As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, there's going to be a lot of MxR in this and the next chapter. I'm choosing mostly to focus on it from Riven's point of view simply because he's going to mostly disappear from the story except for a few scenes after chapter 9 until the very end. Musa, on the other hand, will be present the whole time so I have more chances to focus on her feelings towards Riven.

During breakfast, the girls had discussed how to get Stella's ring back. Flora had suggested telling Faragonda; she thought it was safest to not try to handle it themselves and simply tell the headmistress so she could contact headmistress Griffin at Cloud Tower and force the witches to give the ring back. She was quickly shut down by Stella who pointed out that doing that would require them to tell the teachers that Stella had been off campus all night and risk her getting in trouble. Bloom added on that there was no way to guarantee that Griffin would do the right thing and give the ring back. "She is a witch, after all."

"I think we should start by figuring out what they want with the ring" Tecna said in between mouthfuls of plain toast.

"I still don't understand how you can eat toast with nothing on it" Stella said, face scrunching up in confusion. "Aren't you ever tempted to try jam or peanut butter or regular butter?"

"Stella" Bloom said, clearly annoyed at the blonds inability to focus on getting her ring back. "I think Tecna's right. We should start by doing some research on the ring of Solaria." Luckily, it was a Saturday so they would have all day to study.

***

The better part of the afternoon had been taken up trying to find information on the ring to little luck. The girls had been close to giving up. In fact, Flora and Stella had already given up claiming they had homework to do. But then, just after four, Bloom found a book titled 'Ancient Magical objects' that she claimed she had a good feeling about. "There's got to be something in here... Adylunts' dream catchers? No. Invisibility ring? Hmm... Nibelung's ring? No... There it is! That's Stella's ring!" Bloom cried victoriously.

"Well, share the 4-1-1 girl" Musa laughed, relieved that they'd finally found something and she wouldn't have to bail on them for Sky.

"There's a lot of text. Let's head up to the dorm and I'll read it there so that I don't have to repeat myself too much."

***

"Kay, this is what I know so far: The ring is so powerful because it was created directly from Starlight, the most pure source of magic in the universe. But what's really interesting is that some say the ring is extra special, because it's made of the same light that created this legendary creature called 'The Great Dragon'. Do you know about this Stella?" Bloom asked, turning on her chair to face the princess.

"Well, yeah. I know all about the Starlight stuff, but the other stuff makes me think I should have it reappraised" Stella joked.

"Think! This could be why the witches wanted your ring. It may have hidden power." Bloom cried. She loved Stella but why couldn't she ever take anything seriously?

"Yeah..." Stella sighed.

"In that case we'd better go get it back" Flora said.

"We have to get it back anyway. I'm like, so useless without it."

"True that. In magical defense class she got beat by a Keekbug" Musa laughed.

"When I looked up the Great Dragon, all I found was a restricted book and it would only show me one four-line paragraph. It said that although there's no proof of this, and that it's only a myth, the Great Dragon is supposed to have created the entire Magical Dimension."

"Okay, not the important topic right now... how are we going to get my ring back? I can't do anything without it" Stella sighed, looking at the empty spot on her finger.

"And we have that major quiz in spells on Monday" Tecna reminded them.

Flora looked at Tecna. She'd completely forgotten about the fact that Stella needed her ring to pass any classes, she'd thought maybe they could go later in the week when they'd had time to prepare or she'd hopefully convinced them to tell Faragonda, but now time became a factor. "That quiz counts for, like, half our grade. We have to get your ring back or you'll never pass, Stella."

"Her chances are slim even with the ring" Musa joked, earning a glare from the blond.

"I've got it!" Bloom cried, "We can cast a hypnosis spell on the witches while they're sleeping, and then we can make them give us the ring."

"Yes!" Stella cheered, clapping her hands together. "Classic payback. But wait a sec, detail: how are we even gonna get in to Cloud Tower?"

"Oh. I know where to download a map of the inter-school tunnels" Tecna smiled.

"Sweet! We'll go right after lights out, and be back while everyone is still asleep so no one will know we left. Hey, you mess with one of us; you mess with all of us. That's the power of the Winx Club." Bloom winked.

"In the meantime, what should we do? Anyone want to go get supper? I'm in the mood for sushi." Stella asked.

Flora and Bloom agreed quickly, sushi sounded delicious, but Bloom wanted to have another look in the library before they went. Tecna refused, stating that she had her magical history essay to finish. Musa had plans with Sky, but since he'd asked her not to tell Stella, she told them she couldn't. "I have dinner plans with my aunt Calliope (1). She's in Magix for the weekend for some charity meeting or something and her dinner appointment cancelled. She insisted that we 'catch up'."

"Sounds fun" Stella said sarcastically.

***

Bloom had been walking through the hall on her way to the library, talking to herself about the Great Dragon and how much she needed to get the restricted book to show her more when she heard a voice behind her. "You were in the Restricted Vault?"

Bloom turned to find headmistress Faragonda behind her. She really should learn not to talk to herself out loud in public. "Uh, no" she said, realising there was no point in lying. The headmistress had clearly already heard her talk about the book. "I mean, yes."

"In my office" Faragonda said, leading the way.

"You want to know about the Dragon." Faragonda said, motioning to Bloom to have a seat. "Well, it's quite a long story. In the beginning, there was nothing. And, out of the deep darkness, a dazzling light appeared, it was the Great Dragon. And with his fiery breath, he created a multitude of different worlds, and spread life, light and heat across the universe. Eventually, the Dragon became exhausted and chose to lie down and rest in a place called Domino."

"That's a great story. Where is Domino? Is it real?" Bloom asked.

"It was, but sadly Domino doesn't exist anymore. It's said that a coven of evil witches went there seeking the Great Dragon's power. When they failed to get it, they destroyed the entire planet."

"Oh no" Bloom gasped.

"I must ask: how did you get into the Restricted Vault?"

"I don't know. I was just in the library and the vault opened and it let me in."

"I see" Faragonda said thoughtfully, letting silence settle around them.

Bloom waited a few minutes to see if the headmistress had anything else to add. Once it was clear that Faragonda was deep in thought and had nothing else to say or ask, Bloom took that as her opportunity to leave, thanking Faragonda for the information.

***

Musa arrived at Red Fountain 5 minutes before she was supposed to meet Sky. They'd arranged to meet at the main entrance so she wouldn't risk getting lost in the castle. She sat on one of the benches along the main walkway, eyes closed, and head bopping her head to the song blasting through her headphones until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Removing her headphones, she followed Sky up to the dorm. Musa had never actually been inside Red Fountain, so she observed the ivory building closely as they walked through the halls. She could tell it was a very old building, but that it had been relatively well maintained. It was, however, much colder than she'd anticipated and her tank top would definitely not keep her warm.

"So it's just going to be me and you. I had invited the other guys, more out of politeness than anything, but they declined: Brandon is writing an essay in the library, Timmy's got to work on the ship and Riven's got detention"

"For the troll thing? Why aren't the rest of you with him?"

"Actually, Saladin decided that we'd served our time and learned our lesson. As of this morning, we are no longer under house arrest."

"Lucky you" Musa laughed. "How does it feel to be a free man?"

"Best feeling ever."

"So what'd he do?"

"Not sure, probably fighting knowing Riven" Sky laughed, stopping in front of his dorm and unlocking the door. Riven would kill him if he told anyone that he'd gone to Saladin and taken the blame for the troll thing so that the rest of the guys could get less severe punishments and not lose any grade points.

He motioned for Musa to go in first, he was a prince after all, and princes were gentlemen. Musa surveyed the room: a TV sat on the far left; two black couches, a two-seater and a three-seater, sat perpendicular in front of it, with a wood coffee table between them. There were two doors in the room; one on the right hand wall and one at the very back. Musa assumed those must be the bedrooms. A mini fridge sat behind one of the couches, clearly not part of the original decor, but otherwise it was fairly bare. Unlike the girls' common room, not much effort to decorate had been made.

"Have a seat, make yourself at home" Sky said, waving her over to the couch.

Timmy walked out of his room, giving her a small nod. "I'm sorry to miss movie night, but our ship's been having some engine trouble and this is the only spare moment I have to fix it this week."

"It's okay Timmy, I won't hold it against you" Musa joked, offering him a sincere smile. He was a nice guy and she didn't want to risk him thinking she hated him, especially since she knew Tecna was sweet on him. The redheaded boy waved his roommate goodbye, mentioning that 'hopefully he'll be done in time for the second movie'.

"So what are tonight's movies?" Musa asked, rubbing her arms. It was just as cold in the dorm as it had been in the hallway and, of course, the boys wouldn't have any throw blankets.

"Are you cold? I can get you a sweater" Sky offered, noticing her shiver. She nodded gratefully and quickly slipped on the large black sweater that he'd pulled off the coat hooks by the door.

"Tonight's movies are a horror extravaganza. We've got a classic: the exorcist," he said, holding up the DVDs in his hand, "and this, probably awful, movie that I found at the video store: the gingerdead man (2)"

"I'm sorry, what?" Musa laughed, "Did you legit just say gingerdead man?"

Sky nodded enthusiastically before continuing: "I've ordered pizza, one bacon and one cheese since I don't know what kind of pizza you like, with onion rings and fries. That should be here soon. In the meantime, we've got popcorn, candy, chips, and beer. Don't tell anyone about the beer; we're not supposed to have it."

"Your secret's safe with me" she said, reaching into the popcorn bowl. "Can you-"

A knock on the door interrupted her sentence and a young boy stuck his head in. "Prince Sky, Saladin wants to see you, Brandon and Timmy in his office" he said quickly before leaving.

"Um, okay then" Sky said, not exactly sure what to make of the message.

"Hopefully he doesn't know about the beer" Musa jested, "or me? Am I allowed to be here?"

"Don't worry about it. You're not technically supposed to be here, but guys have girls over all the time and the administration does fuck all about it as long as their grades don't suffer." Sky replied nonchalantly. "Are you gonna be okay here alone for, I don't know, twenty-ish minutes?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just put some music on and dance on your couch."

"You do that" he laughed, her feet would probably not be the worst thing to be on the couches; gods knew what else had happened on them in the years those couches had been there. "Money for the pizza is on the table if it shows up while I'm out. Delivery guys name is Scott and he's not good with women, as in, worse than Timmy, so please be nice to him. You're a pretty girl and I wouldn't want the only delivery guy willing to step foot into Red Fountain to die of a heart attack at our door."

Musa put her headphones back on and leaned back onto the couch. She wasn't actually going to dance on it... unless a really good song came on.

***

Riven made his way back to his dorm. He had to muck out the dragon stalls tonight as part of his extended detention for the troll incident; he'd told Saladin and Codatorta it was his fault to save Timmy's GPA. The poor boy had practically gone into cardiac arrest when they had told them they'd be taking points away from them as punishment for losing the troll. So Riven had taken the blame; he was the one joy riding after all.

Scott, their pizza delivery driver, stood at the door to his dorm. Right, tonight was movie night and Sky had picked some shitty movie about a killer gingerbread man as the second movie. Riven really hoped to be back for that one, it promised to be awful in the best possible way.

"Hey man" Scott said with a smile. He must've been 15 at most, with an unfortunately acne-filled complexion and a permanent nervous look.

"Those for Sky?" Riven asked, nodding towards the pizzas.

"Yeah, but there's no answer"

"I got 'em, Riven said, reaching into his gym bag for his wallet, "Moron can pay me back later."

Holding the pizzas with one hand, Riven unlocked the door and pushed it open. A voice he instantly recognised as hers - it had been playing in his head since the dance -filled his ears. What was she doing in their dorm?

_You got my adrenalin pumping when you stand so close  
I can't help imagining all the things we'd do with no clothes_

He closed the door behind him. She had her back to him and her headphones on; she must not have heard Scott knocking, he thought. She sang along to whatever she was listening to and Riven had to admit that the song had definitely caught his attention.

_We're touching, we're teasing  
We don't need a reason  
And I've got a feeling  
That soon we'll be leaving  
Right from the get go  
You had me at hello  
Can't wait so let's go  
'Cause you're the only one that's taking me home_

He felt his lips go dry and his heartbeat pick up as he watched her swing her hips, arms moving at her sides. She had no idea he was here and probably wouldn't be too happy to find him watching her. It wasn't his fault she was so damn intoxicating. This was definitely a good way to spend his birthday, though (not that he'd ever let anyone know that it was his birthday). Or maybe it wasn't, he thought, her being here was only going to worsen the feelings he already had and didn't want.

_Can't wait to get in my zone  
Who said we got to go slow  
Turn down the lights, and watch my private show  
You got a ticket for all  
To get high, we got to get low  
Because this is your private show_

Wait... was she wearing his sweater? Normally, Riven would be furious at someone taking his stuff, but the thought of her in his clothes made his heart flutter instead. Could he have some sort of heart condition, he wondered. Maybe that's why it felt tight in his chest; maybe it actually had nothing to do with her and her exhilarating presence.

_Put your kisses on my lips  
We ain't here for playing these games  
It's loving with a little twist  
Get you hooked with just one taste_

He felt himself harden. It was almost as if his body wanted to remove any doubt about his attraction to her. This was not good. He had to do something to get away from her. Could he drop the pizza and leave without her noticing? Not that it mattered whether or not he could because, much like every other time he'd been around her, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. This whole situation was really pissing him off; she was really pissing him off. Why did she have to be around? Why did he have to be attracted to her?

_We're touching, we're teasing  
We don't need a reason  
And I've got a feeling  
That soon we'll be leaving  
Right from the get go  
You had me at hello  
Can't wait so let's go  
'Cause you're the only one that's taking me home_

She swung around and Riven prepared for her to notice him and freak out, but she didn't. Her eyes were closed and she was completely engrossed in the music. She looked so... happy.

_Can't wait to get in my zone  
Who said we got to go slow  
Turn down the lights, and watch my private show  
You got a ticket for all  
To get high, we got to get low  
Because this is your private show_

She turned, her back once again facing him and moved forward to grab the beer she had left on top of the mini fridge. She took a swig and quickly put the bottle back in its spot, not once stopping her sway. Riven admired how uninhibited she was at this moment; dancing made him feel self conscious so he avoided it like the plague.

_Under the sheets, let me love you so good  
If you want to touch then baby you should  
You got my permission to do what you like  
'Cause you're the only one that's taking me home_

_Can't wait to get in my zone  
Who said we got to go slow  
Turn down the lights, and watch my private show  
You got a ticket for all  
To get high, we got to get low  
Because this is your private show(3)_

She stopped dancing and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. Whatever she had been doing didn't last too long as she almost immediately put her phone back in her pocket. Probably deciding she liked the song that had started, Riven realised.

_Hold up, no you didn't bow, bow  
I ain't the chick to walk beh- (4)_

Musa turned on the spot, eyes opening wide, her hand flying up to clutch at her chest when she noticed Riven was standing at the door watching her. "Oh my gods! What the fuck. How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes" he replied.

What did that mean? Had he been watching her dance? She shot him a questioning look.

"Let's just say, I got a full private show" he said provocatively, hoping his suggestive jest would repulse her. Her face went red and he couldn't help but notice how cute she was when she was embarrassed. "Why are you wearing my sweater?"

"Huh?" She asked, face scrunching up in confusion. "Sky passed it to me 'cause I was cold. I didn't realise it was yours." She reached down to unzip the sweater.

"You can keep it on; what kind of hero would I be if I let a girl freeze to death in my dorm room?" He asked, heart skipping a beat when she gave him a small smile as thanks. Why had he said that, he thought furiously. Now she would think he could be nice.

"What are you doing here? Sky said you had detention." She looked him over; gods, that Red Fountain uniform really did wonders for him. She couldn't help but notice that there was a bit more this time though: was he hard? Had she turned him on? She smiled internally at the thought.

"I do, but I wanted to change before heading down" he replied, noticing her eyes move over him. She'd obviously noticed his erection; he really hated these uniforms sometimes. He moved around the couches to put the pizza on to the table, hoping to get her eyes off of him.

"So what'd you do?"

"None of your business" he growled. He didn't want her knowing that he'd taken extra punishments to save Timmy's GPA; she'd find that admirable.

"It was just a question" she snapped as he moved past her into his room. It was the same room that Timmy had come out of, she noticed. They must share a room. She let out a sigh. She should be nice, no point in picking fights with a guy you're into. "Guess that means you won't get to watch the sure-to-be-a-cinematic-masterpiece that Sky picked" she said, turning towards his door.

"You mean the gingerbread man thing?" He shouted through the door, "It sounds absolutely terrible." His heart leapt up when she let out a small laugh; gods, he loved her laugh.

Musa sat on the couch, opening up the brown bag and pulled out the onion rings. She heard Riven's door open and turned to face him. "You guys don't happen to have any honey, do you?" Flora kept honey in their dorm for tea. Musa didn't think the guys would too, but she took a chance.

He looked at her questioningly before noticing that she was holding a bag of onion rings. There was no way she was the one other person in the universe who dipped her onion rings in honey (5). "For the onion rings" she said, answering the unspoken question. "It's not weird. You should try it."

He let out a small chuckle before turning back into his room. He kept a bottle of honey for when they ordered onion rings. "I have, actually. I've just never met anyone else that does that."

"You do this too?" She asked incredulously, taking the bottle from his outstretched hand. "What are the odds?"

Riven watched her pour a bit of honey onto the now empty brown bag. He hated himself for letting his mind run free, but it did. And it pictured them on a bench by the water, sharing onion rings dipped in honey. His heart was so far gone with her that it scared him. No one should be allowed to affect someone like this.

"I should get to the stables" he said gruffly, trying to stop his mind from wandering any further and needing to get away from her before his self control faltered and he did something stupid, like kiss her.

"Stables?"

"Yeah. I'm mucking out the dragon stables for detention."

"Sounds like a good time" she laughed, her nose wrinkling at the thought. 'Have fun."

***

Sky came back a few minutes after Riven had left. Musa had already started eating a slice of bacon pizza and the onion rings. "Thanks for waiting" he laughed.

"You told me to make myself at home" she replied.

Sky took a seat opposite her. "So what happened to Stella?" Musa sighed and told him the story of how the witches had tricked Stella by sending her a fake date invitation. Sky stayed silent the whole time wondering why she hadn't called or texted him to confirm; that would've avoided the whole situation.

"Do you think she likes me?" he asked when Musa had finished the story.

"Were you not listening to me just now? Stella ended up in a witch trap because she thought it was a date with you."

"Yeah, but I mean, do you think she likes me or just the title I have?"

Musa paused. She'd never thought about what exactly Stella liked about Sky, and she'd never thought to ask. "I don't know" she told him honestly, "but I don't think Stella would talk about a guy this much if she wasn't genuinely interested in him. And she hasn't mentioned your title much, so I don't think it's her main reason for being interested in you."

Sky looked at Musa uncertainly. He'd dated plenty of girls before, but nobody had ever made his heart skip a beat like Stella did. He couldn't deny that she was gorgeous, but it was more than that. He liked the way she made jokes at inappropriate times, and the way she always seemed to light up the room. He liked that she was fierce and confident, but also sweet and caring. And he really liked that she was carefree and spontaneous; that she was willing to break rules. He'd been around enough princesses, especially crown princesses, that had a stick up their butts and it was just so refreshing to him that she wasn't like that.

"If you're that worried about it, take it slow; get to know each other before you make a move." Musa suggested.

"Yeah... that's probably a good idea" he sighed before turning on the movie.

***

Stella, Bloom and Flora had gone to downtown Magix for supper. The girls had selected a quaint sushi restaurant that Musa had shown them last week .They looked at the menu, picking out the items they wanted. It was an all you can eat so they would bring back anything they didn't finish in case Musa or Tecna wanted some.

"Have you spoken to Sky since the incident, Stella?" Flora asked, clumsily picking up her chopsticks. Musa had had to show her how to use them since she'd never used them, or even had sushi before; it wasn't a common food in Linphea.

"No." Stella sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "I called him the other day, but he didn't answer. I hope I didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm sure he's just busy. Remember, he did tell us they'd gotten majorly punished for the troll thing. Right, Flora?"

"Oh yeah. Apparently, they've been under house arrest the whole time too."

"You girls are sweet to try to cheer me up, but enough about my lackluster love life. I'm sure Sky and I will be fine." And she genuinely believed everything would be fine. They were clearly into each other; they just needed a bit more time together for things to work out and once Sky was allowed to leave Red Fountain, they'd be able to. If the Princess of Solaria was anything, she was optimistic.

"I'm really nervous about our test Monday" Flora said, trying to change the subject. She didn't want Stella dwelling on her fake date with Sky for too long; she knew that her friend blamed herself for putting them in danger and losing the ring. Unfortunately, her attempt at distracting the princess from focusing on her heartache failed as Stella scoffed. "Don't remind me, Flora. If we don't get my ring back tonight, I'm totally screwed."

"Right... sorry" Flora replied sheepishly.

"I wonder why Musa's aunt wanted to have supper" Bloom said, wanting to change the subject again. Something completely unrelated to Stella or her ring or her inability to do magic without her ring.

"Knowing royal women and Musa, she's probably trying to get information out of her" Stella answered, dropping her sushi in the soya sauce and a low 'shit'. "Making sure that she's behaving" Stella explained in response to Bloom and Flora's confused expressions, "which I suppose she isn't since we broke curfew before school even started and now we're going to sneak into a witch school to steal my ring... and making sure that she's socialising with appropriate people, like moi, and to know if she's met a nice prince, you know, someone who's the complete opposite of Riven. But I suppose she can like who she likes."

Bloom and Flora exchanged a confused glance. "How do you know Musa likes Riven?" Bloom asked.

"Dahling, did you not notice them while we were in Black Mud Swamp? They are so totally into each other. I'm amazed they didn't rip each other's clothes off and start going at it then and there." She laughed. "I mean, he wouldn't be my choice; he's not a prince... or even a nice guy, but Musa's tough, she can handle herself."

"And him" she added, raising her eyebrow suggestively. "I guess she has a thing for the bad boy vibe."

"I'm sure he can be nice" Flora rationalised, "He was probably just in a bad mood that day because of the troll."

"I'm sure you do, Flo, but I was the one who met them first and Riven was a grade A jackass then too."

"Maybe it's just you he doesn't like" Bloom laughed.

"Yeah right, I am a gem and who doesn't like gems? Anyways, if Musa can find some sort of a heart in him, I'll be amazed."

"I think they'd be cute together" Flora said softly.

"I don't know, but you know who I think would be super cute together: Tecna and Timmy. I was watching them at the dance and in the swamp and they just hit it off so well."

"I noticed that too. Hopefully one of them is willing to step out of their comfort zone and make the first move" Bloom commented.

"What about you Flora? Any guys catch your attention?"

"Not really. I've seen a few cute boys, but no one that's really captured me."

"That's a shame. I just want us all to find love, you know. Like, I have Sky, Bloom has Brandon, Tecna has Timmy, and Musa has Riven. We're such amazing girls, even Musa with her loose pants and practically non-existent make-up, and Tecna with her practical clothes and semi-robotic personality, and we deserve to have someone to cherish and adore us. I just want us all to be happy."

"We can be happy without boyfriends, Stella" Flora pointed out.

"I know that, but we can be extra happy with them" Stella replied before letting out a gasp. "Wouldn't it be the greatest if there was a fifth guy in their squad for Flora? Then we could be all like, we're best friends and our boyfriends are best friends and we could all just hang out together."

"But there isn't a fifth guy, so you're idea wouldn't work anyways, Stell" Bloom said, laughing at the blonde's enthusiasm.

***

Riven returned to his dorm to find Sky sprawled out on the three-seater, one leg over the armrest, the other hanging off the couch. Musa was on the two-seater, knees tucked into her chest and her head resting on the back of the couch. He would've forced Sky to sit up so he could watch the rest of the movie, but he wanted to go take a shower before joining them since he smelled like a stable. He'd smelled like worse before, but now that he'd gotten used to being clean, he liked to remain that way.

He had made it to his door when he heard Musa say: "this is my favourite part!"

"The part where the priest gets possessed?" Sky asked skeptically.

"No dumbass" she laughed, "the part right after that where he throws himself out the window."

Fighting the urge to laugh at her calling Sky a dumbass, he opened the door to his room to get his shower stuff. He hoped that either Brandon or Timmy hadn't arrived when he came back; knowing Sky, he'd find a way to make sure Riven was sitting next to Musa.

Sky shot him a questioning look when he exited his room, shower bag and change of clothes in hand. "Aren't you going to join us, bro? You were so excited about the gingerdead man!"

"I can't believe you actually got that movie" Brandon, who had just walked in, sighed.

"I want to shower first. I smell like the fucking stables."

"Of course I got that movie! It sounds awful." Brandon hung his head at Sky's reply; he loved his friend like a brother, but sometimes he had trouble believing how childish he could be. Sky, ignoring Brandon's unspoken comments, told Riven they'd wait for him to start the next movie.

When he got back, he was completely unsurprised to find that Sky, Brandon and Timmy were all seated on the three-seater and the only remaining spot was next to the princess he'd been hoping not to sit next to. He considered not joining them and just heading right to his room, but Sky knew he wanted to see the movie and he wasn't going to let him get out of it. Making his way around the couch to sit next to Musa, he shot Sky a glare. Sky completely ignored Riven's unhappy expression and gave him a big grin, hoping Musa didn't notice their exchange.

Musa didn't notice their exchange, mostly because she was too busy internally freaking about the fact that Riven was about to be less than a foot away from her.

"Alright, are you ready for this monstrosity?" Brandon asked, pressing play.

"So excited!" Sky shouted. "There's leftover pizza and fries if you guys want it. No onion rings though, sorry Riven. You'll have to blame Musa for that one."

"Don't blame me for that, you ate them too!" she laughed.

Timmy, it turned out, was not great with horror movies. He gave up about halfway through the movie claiming he was going to watch 'literally any kids movie he could find' in hopes that the terrifying gingerbread man didn't show up in his dreams tonight. Riven had considered moving to take his seat beside Sky but the brown haired specialist had shifted his seating so that there was practically no space available for Riven to take, so he remained next to the princess.

Musa had tried to focus all her attention on the movie. Occasionally, her mind would slip back to Riven's presence, or to how his arms flexed under his t-shirt when he put them behind his head, or how she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, or how she was so close she could almost rest her head on his shoulder, or how every now and then she would see his eyes flicker over her out of the corner of her eye. But she was focused on the movie, or at least, that's what she'd claim if anyone asked her about it. She could tell you about the movie, but really, all the details were lost on her cause she'd been so focused on him.

Riven would also claim that he'd been focused on the movie but he had actually gotten completely distracted from it when, about 20 minutes in, Musa leaned past him to get some candy and he caught a whiff of the sweet vanilla and cinnamon scent of her shampoo. After that, it was all he could smell - despite having extra buttery popcorn right in front of him - and with her scent surrounding him, his brain started to short circuit. It took all the strength of whatever functional brain he had left to resist pulling her into him and kissing her when she leaned over to get a bit more candy. Every now and then, when Sky became particularly engrossed with a scene and wouldn't notice him, Riven would look over towards the fairy. He'd caught her mindlessly shoving candy into her mouth, grimace at a gory scene, biting her lip (he wouldn't know it, but this was her way of thinking about something other than him) and, his favourite, laughing. She looked adorable doing all of them.

It irritated him that he couldn't get her off of his mind. He knew any woman would just serve as a distraction, and he couldn't afford to fuck up the chance old man Saladin had given him. He knew, from experience no less, that people, women in particular, were selfish and couldn't be trusted. He knew she was a princess and would never give him the time of day beyond being 'friends'. He knew that everything about her would bring on his destruction. And yet, he couldn't get her out of his mind. It was like she had lodged herself in him - his heart, his brain, and now his nose - and he had no idea how to get rid of her. He needed to get away from her. That's why, when Timmy left, he was ready to jump at the free spot until Sky took it over. And that's why, when the credits started rolling, he shot up and got away from her as quickly as possible.

***

Musa had never been on a levi-bike before so it made her a bit nervous, but she soon found herself relaxed and enjoying the ride. Sky was a smooth driver so she didn't fear for her life as much as she'd thought she would. As he came up to a turn, she tightened her grip on his torso (she still kind of felt like she was going to fall off when the bike tilted into the turn), bunching up the sleeves of Riven's sweater in her hands.

After the movies, she'd stayed with Sky and Brandon for another hour or so, talking about nothing in particular. Riven had gone to bed almost immediately after the movie, or at least she assumed he'd gone to bed. He'd gotten up as soon as the movie finished, briskly wished them 'good night' and went to his room. At half past eleven, Sky offered to drive her back to Alfea so she could make curfew (6). When she reached down to remove Riven's sweater, he told her to keep it on for the ride and he'd take it back when they got to Alfea.

While they drove, her mind kept replaying the evening over and over again: Riven watching her dance when she thought she was alone, Riven being the only other person she'd ever met that ate honey with his onion rings, Riven sitting beside her on the couch and occasionally feeling his eyes on her, and finally, his curt exit at the end of the evening. He'd been more or less pleasant throughout the time she'd been at Red Fountain, so why the rude exit? Was he tired and cranky? He had been mucking the stables, after all. Or was he trying to get away from her? Brandon had just brushed off his attitude, so maybe he was like that all the time? She knew he was going to be difficult to figure out.

Musa and Sky had made it back to Alfea ten minutes before curfew. She hadn't thought that she would stay with the guys so late and now she had to think of a reason as to why she was coming back from dinner with her aunt at almost midnight. "That was fun; we should hang out again" she said, climbing off Sky's bike and removing her helmet.

"Definitely!" he laughed, before deciding to broach a subject he wasn't entirely sure she was going to be open to discussing. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." She cocked her head to the side questioningly.

"What do you think of Riven?"

Her heart quickened at the mention of his name. Had Sky figured out that she liked him? Was she that obvious? She could fess up, but she decided to play it cool instead. "Uh... I don't know, why?"

Sky gave a small chuckle. Gods, they were so similar. "It's just, I noticed some pretty intense eye contact between the two of you and that you may have been checking him out when you thought no one was watching while we were in Black Mud Swamp."

Musa's face flushed. "You saw that?"

"I did" he laughed, "so I'm right? You do like him?"

"Yeah" she sighed.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to tell him" Sky reassured her. He may not plan to oust them to each other, this wasn't his secret to tell and he didn't want Riven murdering him, but that didn't mean he couldn't play things up behind the scenes. "Keep the sweater" he instructed when he noticed her start to unzip it, explaining that 'it'll give him a reason to talk to you'. She gave him a mischievous smile and nodded.

"Goodnight Sky."

***

Musa slowly made her way to the dorm, racking her brain the whole time. Maybe she could say they'd gone out for dessert and her aunt had insisted that she come stay at the hotel with her? As it turned out, though, she didn't need any excuse right away since the girls were all in their rooms when she got to the dorm. She tiptoed her way to her room, not wanting to alert the girls to her presence. She had been hoping that Tecna would be asleep, but of course, she wasn't. Instead, she was sitting at her desk, staring at her computer.

"You are back late" Tecna commented.

"Yeah, later than I wanted to be. Where are the girls?"

"Getting some rest before we leave; they have all been in bed since about 9:30 so you will not have to come up with an excuse for your late evening."

How did Tecna know she'd lied? Or maybe she was just fishing? That didn't sound like Tecna though. Instead, Musa chose to play dumb. "An excuse?"

"For your late return. I got a bit suspicious when you had not gotten home by 10, I know you well enough to know that dinner with your aunt is not something that would appeal to you, so I looked up your aunt, Princess Calliope, and it turns out she was photographed at a charity ball in Crimenia earlier this evening."

"Of fucking course she was" Musa sighed.

"So where were you really?"

"Hanging out with Sky; he wanted to talk about Stella and he asked me not to tell her. So please don't tell her."

"Musa" Tecna sighed. "I am not a gossip."

"I know" Musa smiled. "So why are you still up?"

Tecna was glad to hear that Musa didn't think she was a gossip; she'd always abhorred girls who would go around telling other peoples secrets. Tecna followed a strict code of conduct: if someone told you something in confidence, it should stay that way. To answer the musical fairy's question, she pointed at her computer screen. "I had downloaded the map of the inter-school tunnels and I have been studying it so that I do not have to open it on my phone in case of an emergency."

Musa looked at Tecna in astonishment. The fairy was truly a special kind: awful in social situations - she was awkward and shy - and she wasn't good at anything remotely emotional, but she had an incredible mind. Musa had seen her memorise entire charts and spells in a quarter of the time it took any of the other girls. And, while she was very much a logic and numbers kind of girl, she had hidden creative and sentimental sides that Musa appreciated. Tecna hadn't told any of the other girls since she intended it to be a surprise for them, but she was creating a video game based on their group where they would save the world; she'd created the story, and designed the characters and backgrounds herself (7). The only reason Musa knew about was because she had asked for her help with the music.

"You're memorising the maps?"

"I am. I just think it is a logical precaution to take."

"You're definitely something, Tec" Musa laughed, moving up behind Tecna to give her a hug. "I'm gonna shower before we leave."

"Whose sweater are you wearing?" Tecna asked, taking note of the large black hoodie. "I don't recall ever seeing it before."

"It's Riven's" Musa said coyly before stepping into their shared bathroom.

***

The girls had left just after 1 AM. They figured that an hour was long enough to wait for any stragglers to clear the halls and would still give them enough time to get back before Griselda got up at 6 like she did every day. The tunnels were dark and dreary and the girls, Stella in particular, were not a fan.

Flora headed the group, flashlight in hand. The path had been straight so far, but they had now come to a crossroads. Turning back towards Tecna, Flora looked at her uncertainly when she had been instructed to take the tunnel on the left. "Tecna, where's your map?"

"After I downloaded it, I memorized it"

"I'm still amazed she memorized the cafeteria menu for the rest of the school year" Bloom joked.

None of the girls wanted to bring up what would happen if they failed to get the ring or got caught, so they said nothing. Instead, the girls made their way along in silence; the only sound to be heard was their breathing and footsteps, occasionally interspersed with Tecna's instructions.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, they finally came to a doorway. Bloom looked around at her friends before pulling on the lever to open the door.

"We're here. This was easy." Flora commented.

"Almost too easy" Tecna replied.

Musa looked around the hallway. The floor was lined with dark gray ceramic tiles and the walls were black and dark purple with torches lit every few feet. It was dark, sure, but it was much less terrifying than she'd anticipated. She'd expected the hallways to be lined with skeletons and shrunken heads or something. This was just a goth kid's hallway. "So this is it?"

Flora shrugged in agreement. "It's not as scary as I thought it would be."

"I have a feeling it's creepier than it looks."

"Their room is on the second floor" Tecna informed them. While looking at the maps, she'd realised they'd need to know where to go so she went digging for a plan of Cloud Tower. She didn't find as much as she'd like, but she did learn that the senior dorms were on the second floor. Hopefully, that was enough information. (8)

They ran up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. The great thing about Cloud Tower was that it didn't have wings like Alfea and Red Fountain did, so even if they had picked the wrong staircase, they would only end up at the wrong end of the hallway. When they reached the second floor, they were delighted to find that, much like Alfea, Cloud Tower had the students' names written on the dorm door. As long as they didn't get caught, this would be a literal piece of cake, Stella thought happily.

Flora was the one to find the witches dorm and waved her friend over. They stood outside of it for a minute, all of them wondering if they really wanted to do this. "Musa" Tecna said, looking over to the dark haired fairy, "do you think you can use your sonar hearing to listen in so we can know if they are awake?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I could. Good thinking, Tec."

Musa listened intently for a few minutes while the others stood watch: Tecna, Flora and Stella watching the hallway, while Bloom watched the door in case the witches opened it while Musa had her ear to the door. Eventually Musa looked back at Bloom and shrugged. "I don't hear anything, not talking or even breathing. I don't think they're there."

Bloom decided to take the plunge and opened the door. The witches room was about the same size as the girls' dorm but built on two levels. The common space on the first floor was littered with spell books and potion ingredients. A staircase on the far right led to a mezzanine, which had nothing but three doors.

"They're gone but they sure left a stench behind" Bloom commented, fanning her face.

Musa pinched her nose. It really was a horrible smell. "This place reeks like an ogre after a ten mile run."

"Remember that spell we learned about finding stuff fast?" Flora asked, wanting to get out as quickly as possible.

"Lead us to what is lost, find it at any cost." Tecna said with a wave of her finger. She bent down to start rifling through the shared desk just below the stairs. "Look, they are into voodoo" she said, pulling out a blond doll with pins stuck into her. "I wonder who this is. Poor girl..."

Musa, who had gone searching in the closet, came out with a dark gray stick of some kind. "Think this is for cheerleading? A baton?" she joked, turning it in her hand. She must have hit a switch of some kind because the 'baton' suddenly grew spikes, startling Musa.

"I wouldn't play with that doll" Flora warned. What if Tecna was hurting the poor girl?

"You are right" Tecna said with a shiver, tossing the doll back into the drawer rather carelessly. "Voodoo is so junior high. Okay, spell work yet?"

"Not yet, lost and found spells take awhile" Stella replied, picking up and sniffing a jar from one of the shelves. Gods, that's repulsive, she thought. What is it? Eau de la ogre?

"Hey, look! It's working" Bloom exclaimed a little louder than she should have. She made her way over to a pile of dirt that lay in the corner, topped with the ring like a cherry tops a sundae.

"Those filthy witches. Why would they keep my beautiful ring here? Preposterous!" Stella said, shaking her head. She made her way over to the pile and picked up her ring and put it on her finger, where it belonged. "Oh, my six point one karats of pure magic. Mission accomplished girls!"

"Follow me you guys" Bloom said, opening the main entrance to the dorm.

"I just want to stop here for a sec. It's their book chamber; it has the only other book that exists about the Great Dragon" Bloom said, stopping in front of a large set of double doors.

"That is grand but the gateway to the inter-school tunnel will close in five minutes" Tecna informed her. She couldn't understand for the life of her why Bloom was so obsessed with the legend of the Great Dragon. It was just a myth; she'd not get any important information from it.

"That leaves three minutes to find the book" Bloom reasoned, pushing the doors open to reveal a large room with floor to ceiling book shelves. Much like the rest of the school, it was dark, with gray carpeting and dark purple walls (the walls that weren't covered in books, anyways). Books littered the floor and a collection of artifacts lay around the room: a sarcophagus, a large globe of Magix, a suit of armor, amongst others.

"If the witches know about the power in the ring so should we." Bloom made her way along the books, quickly spotting the books about the Great Dragon. This was going to be so easy. "It's right here! It looks just like the one in the restricted vault!" Bloom dropped the book on a nearby table. She opened the book to the title page, hoping to find a table of contents. Instead, the book emitted a bright flash of light, blinding Bloom as well as Musa and Flora who stood right behind her.

Tecna was starting to get anxious. The door would be closing soon and she didn't want to have to cast a spell to open it from inside enemy territory. "Well, since we cannot read that book, can we go?"

"Chillax, we have a couple of minutes and they have a book about every fairy and witch in the damn universe" Musa said, pulling out two books titled ' Eleanor de la Rochefeu' and 'Adagilde'.

"Know what them means? There could actually be books about every one of us somewhere in here."

"We are leaving in a minute and a half. So please, do not get distracted."

"I have no clue where my powers come from; I don't even know why I'm a magical being. My whole story could be in one of these books."

"Then look for it, you have just over a minute" Tecna sighed, pointing to her watch.

Bloom walked through the aisle in front of her. Hopefully finding her book would be easy. "How are these books organized, alphabetically or by powers?" She glanced around, noticing a large blue book with gold trimming. On top of said book, in large gold font, was her name. "Quick, I found it!"

"Wait" Tecna said, placing her hand over the book. She had a bad feeling about this. "This is too much of a coincidence. Why would it be sitting here waiting for you?"

"The witches could've been looking her up. They probably read all about us, right?" Stella shrugged.

"Even if that is true, this seems very odd to me. There is a significant risk factor involved. Should I calculate the exact number for you?"

"No" Bloom said dismissively. "This book could have the answers to everything I've been wondering about since I got to Alfea. I have to look inside." She reached out for the book, trying to still the shaking of her arm. This could be her way of getting all the information she'd been desperate to figure out since she discovered her powers and nothing was going to stop her from getting it. Ignoring Tecna's logic, which deep down she knew was right, she grasped the book's cover, sighing in relief when nothing happened.

She sighed too soon, though, as thick vines started to grow from the book's cover, wrapping Blooms arm. Thankfully, it wasn't wrapped too tightly and she easily managed to pull herself free. She quickly inspected her arm for damage. Nothing. Returning her attention to the book, she gasped when she saw that it was no longer the beautiful book she'd wanted, but a monster book. A twisted face, with glowing red eyes and sharp, pointed teeth looked back at her. "I'll destroy you" it cackled.

Musa and Tecna exchanged a quick glance; they had to get out of here right away. "Bloom, that book doesn't want to be read. Let's get the fuck outta here. C'mon!" Musa shouted, grabbing Bloom's hand and shaking her out of her shock.

Tecna was the first to make it to the door. She reached for the handle, only to have the entire door vanish before her. "What?" she exclaimed, putting her hands out to catch herself as she fell forward. "The wall is hot; someone must have used a dark spell to make the door disappear."

"Then maybe we can make a one?" Bloom suggested.

Tecna took a step back and observed the area where the door had been. "A shot of digital power should do the trick" she said, drawing her energy up into her finger tips and picturing the door in her mind. She directed the energy, a bolt of green light, towards the 'door'. A thick cloud of smoke appeared which Tecna wafted away with her hands, hoping to see a door once the smoke had cleared. She was hugely disappointed to see nothing there.

"It looks worse" Musa said softly. "Now what?"

"Power convergence?" Tecna suggested.

"Good idea!" Bloom nodded, quickly transforming into her winx. The others quickly followed suit. On Bloom's call, they pushed their power outwards focusing on the door and where it had stood. Another huge cloud of smoked appeared but this time it was dust and debris from the broken wall.

The girls ran as fast as they could, following Tecna's directions. Eventually, they stopped to catch their breaths. The door to the tunnel would have closed already, so there was no reason to hurry (except for their safety). Tecna looked around her - something wasn't right. The confusion must've shown on her face because Musa looked at her curiously. "Tec, everything okay?"

"We have never been through this tunnel; it is not the one we came from."

"How can you tell?" Stella groaned. "They all look the same."

"I have a photographic memory, I notice details."

"Please guys, tell me we're not completely lost" Bloom moaned.

Tecna looked at her apologetically. She had no idea how they'd gotten lost since she had simply following how they'd gotten to the book chamber. It's almost as if the school's hallways were changing. But that wasn't possible, was it? She looked around again, trying to figure out what was going on and where to go when she heard Musa shriek something about giant spiders.

"They're everywhere" Bloom shouted, watching spiders crawl out of every possible surface.

"Okay, what's the plan now?" Musa asked, moving back to avoid the spiders. She was crazy arachnophobic and the giant spiders surrounding them were definitely not helping in any way. A few weeks ago, she'd seen a spider on her desk while she was studying and she'd screamed so loudly that Flora had come running in thinking she was being attacked. The flower fairy had eventually gotten rid of the spider, using a piece of paper and a cup to bring it outside. "I...I mean... these things don't look too friendly."

"We have to create a protective shield like a force field" Bloom said, kneeling to the ground. The others nodded and knelt with her on the ground, joining their powers to create a large bubble around them.

The closest of the spiders came charging at them, intending to breach their barrier, but were incinerated upon coming into contact with the shield. Wave after wave attacked, slowly breaking the barrier. That wasn't the worst of it, though. The girls watched in horror as the spiders who'd been incinerated started to regenerate, rejoining the army of incoming spiders. Another two or three waves and their shield would break.

"Hey, I know what we can do." Flora giggled. She dropped her shield and flew upwards, motioning for the girls to follow her. "In my realm, when we have to get rid of bugs we use their natural enemies." She brought her hand up to her mouth, blowing the magic dust she'd conjured in her hands down towards the spiders. A large furry white creature grew from the dust. It had fearsome eyes and a long, large tongue. "Erapnus sparthus Sirisus - a beautiful spider eater." In one quick lash of its tongue, the creature captured 3 spiders, squishing them and pulling them back into its mouth.

"That's one of the grossest and coolest things I've ever seen." Stella said, not being able to take her eyes off of the creature while simultaneously not wanting to watch.

After a few minutes, all spiders in sight had been eaten or stomped to death by the spider eater. The creature returned to dust and the girls breathe a sigh of relief. Lowering themselves to the ground, they began to look around for a way out.

Tecna's eyes scanned every inch of the hallway. There was no way she'd led them to a wrong turn, she remembered every move they had made since they'd arrived. It was while she was scanning their surroundings that she noticed the crushed spider dust was moving and joining a larger pile in the corner. "Look! Are they turning into something else?"

"Yeah, they're turning into mud. Note to self: book a facial mud treatment." Stella joked, laughing out loud.

The dust/mud was now forming itself into a large ball, growing taller by the second. 'What the fuck" Musa muttered to herself, before shifting her attention to the still-laughing blond. "Yo, that's not mud, it's slime! And, they're about to give you a facial, Stella!"

The slime had joined to create a tall, deformed round monster. It had two mouths and way more eyes than anything should and it was coming right at them. The girls took off, flying through the school faster than they could think. They only stopped when they came to a dead end.

"Oh shit. What should we do?" Stella cried, looking back at the disgusting beast.

"We have no choice as to take him on." Tecna stated.

The girls turned to face the monster and blasted the monster. It wasn't hard to beat; with one attack they had succeeded in destroying it, sending it splattering everywhere. Tecna brought up her shield and ordered the girls behind it to avoid exploding monster bits.

Stella turned on the spot, noticing a door that they must have missed in their panic. She moved to push it but it wouldn't budge. "We have a problem."

Tecna, thinking quickly, threw herself at the door, forcing it open. "Not anymore" Stella shrugged, entering the room. Much like the book chamber, the room they now found themselves in was littered with books and artifacts. "I've heard of rooms like this but I never thought they really existed. Witches are very messy creatures! Instead of organizing their library, cataloging their stuff, they just chuck everything away like that."

Musa could hear a strange noise coming from the left. She turned to see a large bug coming right at her. Gods, why was it bugs today? She really hated bugs. "A puncture beetle" she cried, backing away from the creature.

"Fret not; I've got it under control" Stella said, moving to block Musa, "Sun burst!" A powerful light shone from Stella's hands, burning the beetle to a crisp, but also starting a fire in the far corner of the room.

"Stella" Flora sighed, "I could've created a beetle eater. Look at all the fire."

"I always say 'when it comes to bugs, you never have enough fire.'"Stella announced, congratulating herself and bursting into fits of laughter. Her good humour was quickly extinguished, however, when the fire started spreading through the room at a rapid pace.

"Way to go" Musa sneered.

"Did anyone learn any fire spells?" Flora asked between coughs.

"This fire is too big. A spell will not work." Tecna informed her.

"What the hell are we gonna do?" Stella cried.

Bloom looked around at the burning room. They were doomed; the only door out was already completely blocked by the fire and they had no way of stopping the fire. She couldn't believe this was how she was going to die: in a random junk room at an enemy witch school, burnt to a crisp like the puncture-beetle. She started thinking about all the things she'd never get to learn or do - she hadn't even kissed Brandon yet - when a soft, voice spoke to them. "Listen to me Bloom. I can save you."

She looked around, but it didn't appear as if any of the others had heard the voice. Maybe she was imagining it? "You have to trust me" the voice continued, "You have to follow my voice. You know my voice. Think back in time, Bloom. Way back. Remember? I used to watch over you."

Bloom searched the room wildly, but she couldn't see anyone. "You have to trust me. This way Bloom, follow me!" Bloom unconsciously started to walk towards the voice.

"Bloom, where the fuck are you going?" Stella yelled, turning to the girls beside her. "She's walking right into the fire!"

"Follow my voice."

"Bloom! What are you doing?"

"We have to stop her" Tecna said, moving forward to try to grasp Bloom's arm.

"Trust me Bloom."

Bloom took one more step forward, the flames parting around her to reveal a large metal circle.

"Keep going. Use the portal."

Bloom reached forward, resting her hand against the cold metal. It started to tremble beneath her touch, splitting open to reveal a tunnel.

"Oh wow" Stella said, making her way towards the tunnel. "It's a way out. All snaps to you, girl!" She gave Bloom a good pat on the back, bringing her out of whatever daze she was in. The redhead looked around in confusion. "What happened?"

"Enough talking, it's time to bounce. It's getting really freaking hot in here."

"You go first" Stella said to Bloom, motioning for her to jump into the tunnel.

Bloom jumped into the hole and slid down until she hit the ground with a loud thud. That was not a pleasant landing, she thought, rubbing her head. Her landing was about to get much worse, though, as Stella, followed by Musa, Tecna and finally Flora, landed on top of her.

"Alright, how did you pull that off?" Tecna asked once they'd finally figured out which direction they were heading in.

Bloom sighed. Her friends were going to think she was insane. "I heard this voice in my head, it was telling me how to get to safety. It was a sweet, kind voice that spoke to me through the flames."

"Well, whatever it was, it got us out of a hot spot, that's for sure!" Stella said, once again laughing at her joke.

"Ha-ha, Stella you are so funny. I just busted a gut." Tecna said sarcastically. Musa gagged outwardly at Stella's joke - it was awful even by her standards - but smiled internally at Tecna's use of sarcasm.

"I wish we could use magic to fly to our beds" Flora yawned once they'd made it back onto Alfea territory.

"I'm so tired, that if we could use magic in here, I'd make the bed fly to me and tuck me in" Bloom laughed.

"I'm so tired, I would just crash right here" Musa countered.

A throat cleared behind them. The girls jumped and turned to see the dreaded head of discipline behind them. "You're not as tired as you're going to be tomorrow. I'll see you in Miss Faragonda's office."

Faragonda sat behind her desk wearing a housecoat, her hair in still in rollers. She looked at the girls in dismay. "We warned you: Cloud Tower is off limits! Yet you went there in the middle of the night and you broke in! Unbelievable!"

"Unthinkable!" Griselda added.

"Unacceptable!"

"You must be punished."

"I won't tolerate this kind of behavior in my institution! Now, what have you got to say for yourselves?"

"We really s-" Bloom started before being interrupted by Griselda clearing her throat. The old bitch really loved doing that.

"Ma'am, if I may? Whatever their reason is for doing what they did, their punishment should be exemplary."

"What do you mean?" Faragonda asked, looking over at Griselda.

"Seeing that these students went out without permission, I suggest they be grounded and their magic powers revoked until such date as you deem adequate."

"But ma'am, you wouldn't do that, would you?" Stella asked.

"Wouldn't I? There are very few things I wouldn't do" Faragonda replied before taking a breath to consider Griselda's proposal. "And revoking your powers is not one of them." The elder fairy raised her hands in front of her face, a sparkling green light appearing before her. The light circled the girls, draining them of magical energy.

When the light finally disappeared, none of them felt any different. Maybe Faragonda's spell hadn't worked, Bloom thought. But when she raised her hand and tried to draw on her power, nothing happened.

Once Faragonda had dismissed them, the girls headed back up to their dorm. Not a word was said between them, they were all too shocked and exhausted to speak. Shared glances spoke for them instead: what about our homework? What about our education? Are they allowed to do that? And most daunting: what are we going to do when the witches realise we stole the ring?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Calliope is one of the muses. She is the muse of eloquence and epic poetry.
> 
> (2) This is a real movie. Do yourself a favour and watch it; it's horrible in the very best way.
> 
> (3) Private show by Little Mix
> 
> (4) Power by Little Mix
> 
> (5) I was skeptical too, but it's delicious.
> 
> (6) In my world, their regular curfew is 10 on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
> 
> (7) I read up everything I could on the girls before writing and I came across a source that said Tecna designed her own games as a child and I just loved that idea!
> 
> (8) It really irritated me that she said that like it was super normal to know where things were in a building they'd never set foot in.


	7. Grounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that have looked up (or already knew) the characters' birthdays, last episode was set on the day/night of October 15th (Riven's birthday). I mapped out a 'school year' timeline because while I was watching for this I realised that their year makes no sense, it happens more over like 3 months. At one point, there are midterms and then a week long break (referred to as 'spring break' in 4kids, which what? how are they already on spring break?) and then more midterms and then ep 17-26 all happen pretty much consecutively. I ended up spacing a lot of things out so that they could get an almost full school year. This episode, for example, is set 2 weeks after the last one, so it's now end of October. The next one, the infamous day of the rose, will be set a month after this episode. This might be useless information to you, who knows lol.
> 
> This is one of my favourite episodes because it's mostly filler and already has a fair amount of down time instead of action, so that means lots of space to play!
> 
> But also I hate this episode cause it seems like they're just running through a maze of hallways and nothing makes sense.
> 
> As a side note, Word kept telling me to capitalise the word 'Minotaur' so I googled whether it should always be capitalised or not and the only auto fill I got from 'Should Minotaur' was 'Should I buy a Minotaur?"
> 
> I'm trying to put a bit more focus to the other couples too since they're all together right now, but this chapter is pretty heavy MxR since it's the last interaction they have before Darcy.
> 
> Enjoy :)

"Um, Miss Griselda?" Flora said shyly, shrinking under the woman's terrifying gaze, "We were wondering if we can get our powers back?"

It had been almost two weeks since their mission to Cloud Tower. They'd been forced to miss class and were falling behind on homework. They'd done what they could, but unfortunately most of it required magic. At some point in the last week, the girls had all started to get worried about their grades and had decided to go see Griselda as a group, presenting a unified front, to ask for their powers back. Stella, who wasn't actually too concerned and spent her days pampering herself or shopping, only went to get the others to stop talking about it.

"Your little field trip to Cloud Tower was unacceptable, not to mention dangerous" Griselda replied, intensifying her gaze towards the young nature fairy. "You're lucky that you weren't turned into jumping beans and sold to the inter-realm circus. You won't be getting your powers back anytime soon, but that's only the beginning of your punishment."

The beginning? They'd been powerless for two weeks and already fallen way behind. Flora hated to ask, but she had to. "Uh, what's the rest of it?"

Griselda got up from her desk and made her way to stand directly in front of the young girls. "You may not leave campus for the next two days."

"We have to veg out all weekend? Not exactly a punishment, Miss G" Stella laughed. Bloom, who stood beside her, stifled a laugh; she didn't want to piss off the old woman anymore than Stella certainly had with that comment.

"Stella!" Tecna scolded. What was that crazy girl thinking? It would already take days of constant work for them to catch up on homework, not to mention the extra days that she, Musa and Flora would likely have to put in helping the blond study.

Griselda glowered at Stella, before giving her a smug grimace. She clapped her hands, forming a small glowing ball which quickly morphed into cleaning supplies. "There will be no 'veg-ing out'. You will clean the entire school from basement to belfry using these cleaning implements. Here you are, Miss Stella: your new best friend!" She threw a mop towards the blond who caught it by reflex.

"What a curious looking remnant of primitive technology" Tecna said, pulling out her minicomputer. She'd never seen such cleaning implements. On Zenith, everything was self-cleaning. That is, until someone invented a way for things to never get dirty in the first place. "Perhaps there is an online manual in my -"

"You won't need a manual, Miss Tecna" Griselda interrupted, shutting the purple haired fairy's minicomputer.

"Oh, no manual?" Tecna said sadly.

"Don't worry, Tecna. It's not that complicated." Musa laughed, amused by the look on her roommates face.

"Yeah the only manual we'll be using is manual labor" Flora replied contemptuously. Musa shot her a delighted look. She loved when the fairy was sarcastic or mean because it was just so out of character for her and that made her commentary all the more entertaining.

"Exactly, if we had a manual for the labor we would be more efficient and-" Tecna stopped when she noticed her friends were laughing. "What is so funny? I was not joking."

"THAT'S ENOUGH" yelled Griselda, causing the laughing girls to freeze. "Leave no paperweight un-dusted. Now, get to work."

***

Alfea's first floor consisted of the main hall and grand ballroom, with its four washrooms, in the center wing, and five side wings: the kitchen was in one; the dining hall in another, as well as its two washrooms; the infirmary was the fifth. The other two wings consisted of eight lecture halls, ten classrooms, the magical reality chamber, the potions lab, the dance studio, the gym and four more public washrooms. Every inch of these, excluding the magical reality chamber, the infirmary and the kitchen (the students on kitchen duty were responsible for that cleanup and no students were allowed into the magical reality chambers room without supervision) would need to be cleaned, as well as the halls and stairs. In the 2nd floor central wing was Griselda's office, as well as a few teachers' offices and the teachers' lounge. The right wing consisted of 16 student dormitories, housing 93 of a possible 96 girls, including themselves. The left wing was teachers' residence. Only the halls and stairways of these would need to be cleaned. The top floors central wing consisted of Faragonda's office, as well as more teachers' offices and the school's main office that students would contact if they needed records, change of class or dorm, etc. The right wing consisted of another 16 dormitories, housing 91 of a possible 96 girls. Much like the 2nd floor, only the hallways and stairways of these would need to be cleaned. The left wing housed the school's enormous library. Thankfully, when informed about the girls' punishment, the head librarian refused their services; she much preferred that the libraries pixies do their jobs instead of the miscreant students. (1) Luckily, they were only responsible for the inside of the school, as none of them, with the exception of Flora, were equipped - or wanting - to clean the school's main quad, or the back courtyard that led off from the dining hall or the garden and gazebo that led off from the ballroom.

Bloom, Musa and Stella had made their way to the farthest lecture hall. After talking it over, the girls had decided it would make more sense to start at the far end of the school, with the last lecture hall and work their way towards the last classroom, then do the halls and stairs. Flora and Tecna had stayed behind while Flora tried to teach Tecna how to use the cleaning supplies.

"It's not that complicated, Tecna. Here, let me show you."

"Thanks, but I know I can figure out these strange objects by myself" Tecna replied, picking up the bucket and dumping out its contents. She brought it up to her face and inspected it carefully.

"That's called a 'bucket'" Flora informed her as if she were speaking to a toddler. She looked at Tecna softly, remembering when her little sister, Miele, was still a toddler and she would teach her new words; how Miele would repeat after her in that adorable garbled way that toddlers do; how the little girl would smile up at her proudly even when she'd completely butchered a word. She remembered Miele's first day of elementary school and how she'd been so excited to show Flora that she'd gotten dressed all by herself: a bright pink shirt, yellow skirt, sparkly red tights, with green Mary Janes that she'd put on the wrong foot. Flora pulled herself out of her memory; she had a school to help clean, it wasn't time to start missing her family.

Tecna continued to inspect the bucket closely. Her brain was letting her down; she couldn't fathom what the strange object was for until she had a flashback to her fifth birthday when her parents had decided to go 'old school' and got her a 'party hat' with a chin strap that looked like the one on the bucket. "Aha" she exclaimed. It must be for your head. Flipping the bucket upside down, she placed it square on top of her head, lowering the chin strap to hold it in place. A perfect fit!

"That's one use for it" Flora giggled, "and the broom?"

"The broom is elongated so that the user may reach high places" Tecna replied, picking up the broom and demonstrating its high reach.

"Like that picture up there?"

"Exactly." Tecna looked at the painting Flora had been pointing to. She stretched out her arm and began to brush the painting. "Observe."

"Good job, sweetie" Flora chuckled.

Tecna continued to brush the painting. A single overenthusiastic swipe, though, caused the painting to fall, breaking at Tecna's feet. "Oopsie" Flora said quietly. Hopefully that wasn't anything important.

"Good thing I figured out how to use the bucket."

"Yeah..." Flora sighed, "Let's go find the others."

***

It felt like they'd been scrubbing for a lifetime. How could it be that they were still on the first lecture hall? Musa could swear her hands were going pruny from dipping the scrub brush in the soapy water even with the rubber gloves and her back already hurt. She and Bloom had been scrubbing for the last half hour while Stella sat around and watched them. Why did she think she was exempt from this? And where the hell were Flora and Tecna?

"Only seven more lecture halls to go" Bloom said, trying to sound enthusiastic but failing miserably.

"We would be done a lot sooner if you-know-who had helped us" Musa replied, glaring at the blond that sat on the desk staring at herself in her compact mirror.

"Totally!" Bloom nodded, "This is kinda your fault you know."

"This is my fault?" Stella cried.

"If you hadn't opened your damn yap trap" Musa argued.

"You both laughed, didn't you?"

Musa sighed. She loved the blond, but she was losing her patience. "Come on Stell, just grab a scrub brush."

"Blisters are my enemy" Stella scoffed.

"WEAR GLOVES!" Musa screamed. She had a bit of a short fuse, she knew it. Cecilia - and her everlasting patience - had pointed it out to her many times, but come on; Stella was not the exception here. She needed to get a brush and scrub just like she and Bloom were.

"Ugh, gloves with a tank top?"

"Oh, that's a really good point. I hadn't even thought of that" Bloom said sarcastically, refilling her bucket with clean water.

"Thank you, Bloom" Stella said sincerely before turning back to shoot a smug look at Musa who had daggers in her eyes. "Look, I'm a princess and getting dirty is simply not in my make-up, sorry."

"You're not the only princess here" Musa reminded her.

"Maybe, but on Solaria, royalty and suds don't -" Stella started, stopping to let out a screech. Bloom had just thrown her bucket of soapy water at her, drenching her hair and her entire back. She turned to give the redhead an earful, but Musa's laughter and Bloom's amused face stopped her.

"What were you saying, Stella?" Bloom asked, attempting, and failing, to maintain a serious face. Turning her attention to the laughing fairy beside her, Bloom smirked. "I've got some for you too, Musa."

Musa stopped laughing to look at Bloom in confusion. That was a bad move; the minute her face shot up a bucketful of cold water hit her dead on. Musa shook her head to clear the shock and glared at Bloom. It was on. She picked up her bucket and gave a small toss towards Bloom, just enough to get her wet, earning a laugh from Stella, before turning her attention to the blond and tossing the contents of the entire bucket at her as payback for her not helping.

A full blown water fight erupted. By the time it was done, all three girls were soaked from head to toe. Musa could feel her pigtails sagging, her thick hair soaked, and when she took a step she could feel her sneaker squishing beneath her. Poor Stella, who was wringing water out of her hair, looked like her face had melted. Bloom threw her hair up in a ponytail and dropped herself to the ground. Laying back she looked around her: they'd not gotten as much cleaning done, but at least Musa and Stella, who were by the desk poking fun at each other and laughing, were no longer arguing.

"What happened here?" Tecna cried.

"Are you guys okay?" Flora asked, not sure where to look. At her soaking friends? At the water all over the place? The buckets dumped on the floor? The scrub brushes on the benches? The brooms and mops that were still by the door, never having been touched?

"Bloom taught us a great Earth sport called 'Water Fight' and I won!" Stella announced in a fit of laughter.

"Oh please, you did not win. I did!" Musa laughed, giving Stella a light shove.

"It's not funny!" Flora said disapprovingly.

"What if Griselda sees this?" Tecna asked, agreeing with Flora's unimpressed tone.

"Indeed. What if?"

The girls looked up to see Griselda standing in the doorway, looking more annoyed than usual (if that was possible). Why does she always have to catch us, Stella wondered. Does she just sit around watching us through a crystal ball all day, hoping we do something bad?

The old woman's face quickly turned to twisted amusement. "I wanted to let you know that Charmed Life is playing Magix Stadium tomorrow night and all of Alfea and Red Fountain will be there. Do you know this group?"

"I've got all their CDs!" Stella replied excitedly. She couldn't believe they'd be going to see her favourite boy band. Hopefully they got good seats.

"Good thing" Griselda said, getting a lot of pleasure out of disappointing her least favourite student, though she tried not to let it show, "Because since you have a lot of cleaning left, you won't be attending the show. Perhaps one of your classmates will pick you up a T-shirt."

Stella's heart fell; how disappointing was this? And Griselda had taken so much joy in announcing to them that they weren't going. Her face had remained neutral, but Stella could see the gleam in her eyes. Once she had gone, Stella turned to the other girls. "How unfair is that? It's only tomorrow night. I'm sure if we worked hard we could get it done before then."

"Do you think she gets off on our misery?" Musa asked. It was only two seconds after that she registered what Stella had said. "Worked hard?" she said, her voice rising, "Are you fucking serious, Stell? We would've finished this hall in 20 minutes if you'd helped at all."

"Me? We wouldn't even be in this mess if Bloom hadn't started that damned 'water fight'."

"Hey! I only started that water fight cause I thought a little fun would ease the tension and you two were about to kill each other. Again!"

"We were not" Musa and Stella cried in unison.

"Yes, you were. You two have the hardest fucking time getting along. You always pick fights with each other over the stupi -"

"ENOUGH" Flora yelled. Four heads whipped around in shock. Had she actually just yelled at them? "Bickering will get us nowhere. We need to just buckle down and get this done."

"According to my calculations, it is not likely that we will finish in time for the concert."

"That can't be right" Bloom said, "the concert's tomorrow night, which gives us almost 24 hours to clean the whole school."

"Yes, but one must account for other things too. It is currently 9:57 pm, which is usually bed time. Assuming we clean up this mess first then head back to the dorm, taking into account any night-time routines, showers, bathroom time, changing and general chatter, we will not be sleeping until close to 11 pm. With 8 hours of sleep, we would get up at 7 am and get ready for the day. Assuming that it takes half an hour for us to get ready, then about -"

"Only half an hour to get ready? Tecna, dahling, you should know very well by now that it takes at least an hour to reach this level of perfection." Stella said, motioning to herself.

"Perfection? You look like a raccoon." Musa scoffed, earning a glare and an 'hmph' from the blond.

"Okay, I will meet you halfway. Forty five minutes to get ready, followed by another forty five minutes to get down to the dining hall, get our food and eat. It is now 8:30 am. We have to clean 7 lecture halls, 10 classrooms, the gym, the dance room, the potions lab, and 10 washrooms at an estimated 15 minutes per room, assuming we work efficiently and have no more 'water fights'. That is a total of 435 minutes, which is 7.25 hours, which brings us to 3:45 pm. Assuming we stop for lunch, another forty five minutes to get our food and eat, that brings us to 4:30 pm. The concert starts at 8 so I assume they will be leaving at 7; that is twenty five minutes to get to the stadium and thirty five minutes for everyone to get in, get a snack and find their seats. This means that we have two and a half hours to finish the ballroom, the dining hall, the stairwells, the hallways and get ready for the concert."

"So... we're not going to make the concert?" Stella asked uncertainly.

"I am afraid not."

"Well that sucks" Bloom sighed.

"Let's just get this done and go to bed so we're well rested for tomorrow" Flora said, picking up one of the mops that stood by the door.

***

They'd spent the entire day cleaning and it was now 6:55 pm. The last students had just finished boarding the bus to Magix Stadium and the girls were officially stuck at Alfea. They'd managed to clean all the lecture halls, classrooms, the potions lab, the dance room, the gym, the dining hall and all of their bathrooms and hallways. They still had the main hall, the grand ballroom, its four bathrooms, the stairways and the three dorm hallways to go.

Bloom stood at the window watching the other students board. Once they were done, the teachers boarded the buses. Griselda was the last one to board and Bloom could swear she'd seen the she-demon look up at her and grin. "It's just us."

Musa sighed. "That band's bunk, but anything beats cleaning duty."

Stella shook her head at Musa's comment. How could she say a group of hot guys was 'bunk'? Wait... hot guys. That gave her an idea; hopefully the other girls would go for it. "I've got an idea, let's call up the boys!"

"Right, I'm sure they'd just flip at the prospect of helping us clean." Flora rolled her eyes. Musa looked at her; she was being way sassier than usual. She made a mental note to check in with Flora later, something was off about her.

"Well, we'll just say...uh...we need some heroics and bravery" Bloom suggested. She hadn't seen Brandon since they'd gone to Red Fountain to see Sky about his 'date' with Stella so she'd say anything to see him. She knew they weren't a couple (yet?) but she really liked him and she missed him.

"Do you not think Griselda will be angry?" Tecna asked. She wasn't actually against the idea. In fact, it was quite the opposite - she liked it; she wanted to see Timmy. What she didn't like was the possibility of getting in even more trouble.

Bloom shook her head. "She said 'no magic' but she never said we couldn't get any assistance from our favorite heroes."

"Yes! And we know they can't resist a call from damsels in distress" Stella added, throwing her arm across her forehead to feign being one such damsel.

That was enough to convince Tecna, who nodded her approval to Stella and Bloom's plan. She wanted to see Timmy badly enough that Bloom's half-assed logic would have to do. Timmy, she thought, was worth getting into a bit more trouble for (right?). Besides, what was the worst that could happen? They'd already lost their powers, missed two weeks of class and been forced to clean the entire school. What else could they possibly do?

Musa had been on board the minute Stella suggested it; anything to see Riven again. "Quick! Call 'em before they leave for the show" she said, showing more enthusiasm than she'd wanted to.

Flora sighed. This was a bad idea, and they would get in so much trouble if they got caught, but there was no convincing her friends otherwise so she shrugged and accepted that whatever was going to happen would happen.

***

The guys drove to Alfea as quickly as they could, by which that meant, as quickly as Riven drove since he was the speed demon of the group. Though none of them would admit it, they knew the girls weren't in need of any 'heroics and bravery', but none of them had suggested putting on their uniforms either, so they all knew that they all knew.

Musa had told Sky yesterday that they were under house arrest for the weekend so he assumed they'd invited them to hang out. Although, why Stella couldn't just come out and say that, he didn't understand. He chose to ignore that specific detail and instead focused on getting to talk to the beautiful princess that was the object of his affection. He wanted to get to know her better, and more importantly, figure out if she was into him as a person or into him as a prince.

Brandon felt giddy during the ride. Bloom was only a few minutes away and, though he knew he shouldn't be getting attached to her, the thought of seeing her made him feel like he was floating. He'd dreamt of her fiery red hair and sky blue eyes every night since they first met and he would take any chance to see them in person.

Timmy could feel the nerves bundling themselves in his stomach. This would be the first time he'd seen Tecna since Black Mud Swamp. She'd been nothing but friendly to him but he was still panicked that she thought he was a loser or a wuss; every other girl he'd liked had. He wanted so badly for Tecna to like him and he was terrified at the prospect of her rejecting him.

Riven beat himself up internally. Why had he agreed to come? He didn't particularly want to see Charmed Life and he knew very well there were no heroics needed and that the girls had only said that to get them to come to Alfea. He wondered if Musa had been part of that plan. Did she want to see him? Or was she just going along with whatever her friends wanted? Maybe she wanted to see Sky? He'd noticed how well they got along when she'd come over two weeks ago, but it had struck him as a more brother/sister relationship than a budding romantic one. Besides, Sky was head over heels for blondie. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. It didn't matter anyways; he had no chance with her. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to see her; to be near her and touch her and kiss her and spend hours looking into those eyes that he could swear had embedded themselves in his brain, becoming a permanent fixture of his dreams.

"You guys didn't waste any time, did you?" Stella laughed, running up to meet them as they got to Alfea's main entrance.

"So, uh, exactly what kind of heroics and bravery do you girls need?" Sky asked.

"Well..." Stella let out a guilty laugh, motioning for the boys to follow her.

The boys shared a confused glance, but followed the princess into the school anyways. Inside they found the other four girls waiting for them, as well as mops, brooms, bucket and scrub brushes.

"Voila" said Stella.

"You want us to clean?" Timmy asked skeptically.

"We skipped a concert for this shit?" Riven complained. Cleaning and doing his best to avoid Musa or going to see a terrible boy band, he couldn't figure out which sounded worse.

"Oh, come on, it'll be a blast. Now take your weapons boys" Bloom joked, tossing a broom to Brandon and Sky, who caught them effortlessly.

Timmy fumbled with his a little bit, almost dropping it. He let out a sigh of relief as he held the broom tightly. He wasn't the most coordinated guy; he'd never been good at sports and even now he still tripped and dropped things occasionally. Hopefully, Tecna would find that endearing instead of embarrassing, but for now he wanted to appear cooler and smoother.

Bloom tossed the last broom towards Riven who did not move an inch and made zero effort to catch it. Instead, he let the broom fall at his feet.

"The easiest way to do this is to split up into two teams" Tecna informed them.

"Smart thinking Tecna" Stella said. "Bloom, Brandon, Sk-"

"Stella, Bloom, Brandon, Timmy and I will take the halls and stairwells." Tecna interrupted. She knew Stella would want to pair up with Sky, and then spend all night flirting instead of cleaning. "Musa, Flora, Sky and Riven, you take the grand ballroom and its bathrooms."

"Now hold on -" Stella started, before being interrupted by Flora. "Sounds good." She wanted Stella and Sky to be happy together, but she also wanted this cleaning to be over and them being distracted by each other was not the way to do that. She'd have to trust that Bloom and Brandon, Timmy and Tecna, and Musa and Riven wouldn't be too distracted either because, though Bloom and Brandon were pretty obvious, as were Musa and Riven if you were paying attention, she didn't want to call out any of her friends crushes.

Stella grumbled, but gave in and got in with her group. She made sure to shoot Tecna a scathing look, but the technological fairy paid no mind and focused solely on the task at hand. "We should start on the third floor and work our way down."

Bloom nodded at Tecna's plan and started to make her way up the stairs. She heard Stella shuffle along unhappily behind her and, though she was sympathetic to her friend's annoyance, she knew it was for the best so she stayed out of it. Stella had barely been willing to do anything yesterday because she's "a princess" so she worried that she wouldn't be willing to let Sky see her as anything but, which meant that she wouldn't be doing any cleaning. With Sky out of the picture, Stella was more likely to pitch in.

"I guess you and Stella are the only ones worth separating" Musa laughed, shooting Sky a knowing look.

"Yeah... what's up with that? Bloom and Brandon keep shooting goo-goo eyes at each other and she lets them work together."

"Bloom and Brandon can work like adults and not spend the entire time flirting" Flora pointed out.

"Gods I love that little robot" Musa said, picking up a bucket, and laughing at the thought of Tecna cock-blocking Stella.

"She's not a robot" Flora said pointedly.

"Mmm...not so sure about that one Flo. Maybe she's a robot/fairy hybrid (2)... Is that a thing?"

Flora shook her head at Musa's commentary and headed into the ballroom. "Where should we start?"

"Bathrooms?" Musa suggested following her in.

"Yeah, get the worst part out of the way" Sky agreed. He was here; he figured he might as well give the girls a hand even if he'd rather be upstairs flirting with Stella. He turned back to Riven who leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. "Dude, come on. She might not like you if you stand there and scowl all night."

Sky, of course, had no idea that Riven wanted the princess to not like him, but Riven followed him into the ballroom, anyways. He had no intention of cleaning, but he wouldn't mind watching the prince scrub some toilets.

"How about some music?" Flora suggested, carrying in the Bluetooth speaker that Musa had brought downstairs. Sky and Musa nodded enthusiastically; some good music would definitely help this go by faster.

"We could play some Charmed Life since we're missing the concert" Sky suggested.

"Absolutely not." Musa and Riven replied in unison, the latter looking over at the former in shock. She didn't like boy bands - another strike in her favour. Great.

"You get no say unless you help bro."

Musa smiled knowing that Riven had decent enough taste in music to not like that garbage. "We'll play something that doesn't make my ears bleed" she said, connecting her phone to the speakers and flipping through to pick a song. Once she'd settled on a song by her favourite rock group, she turned to the others to formulate a cleaning plan.

They'd settled on doing the bathrooms together so they could talk while they cleaned. Sky and Flora went ahead with their toilet brushes and buckets of cleaning supplies while Musa collected hers where she'd dropped them at the ballrooms main entrance. She turned around to see Riven standing against the wall, arms still crossed. "Are you not going to help?"

"You lied to us to come have us clean the school - your school - your punishment. So no."

Musa sighed. "Seriously? This is a lot to clean for five people. We've been at it since last night."

"So? It's still your fucking punishment. Would you have helped me muck out the dragon stables?"

"I mean, sure. If you needed the help and, you know, kinda like this, there was no way we'd get caught. Besides, Stella planned a party for after we're done since it shouldn't take too long with all of us."

"A party?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah, Bloom and Flora prepped some food after Stella called you guys. And, despite Bloom not being able to flip an omelet, she's actually a pretty good cook."

Riven shot her a confused glance. What was she talking about? What did omelets have to do with anything? It doesn't matter, he thought shaking his head. He was intent on being sour; he needed her to be annoyed by him. "Pass."

"The fuck, man? You can't be the one person who hates parties. I mean, big shindigs, sure if you hate crowds, but there are literally nine of us. And there's food."

"It's not a real party without booze" he challenged.

Musa gave him a contemplative look before glancing over her shoulder to the bathroom that Flora and Sky were in. She looked back at him and sighed, moving closer to him. "Don't tell mother Flora this..."

She stood a foot away from him now, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I've got rum and whiskey under my bed." Fuck. Of she wouldn't be the perfect rule-following princess that would make her annoying to him. She had to have a rebellious side. "I'll share with you if you help us clean. I'm not saying you gotta scrub toilets, but you have to help. Stop helping at any point and you'll have to survive Stella's party sober." He looked at her curiously and she swore she could see his mind working through his eyes; those incredible amethyst eyes. While he was debating her offer and clearly lost in thought, she allowed herself a few seconds to admire them. He himself was, obviously, wonderful to look at, but those eyes were really what had drawn her to him.

Riven contemplated her offer. He had a few choices: First, not help clean or stay for the party and just go back to Red Fountain. Second, not help clean and deal with Stella's party sober. Third, suck it up, help clean and get free alcohol. The first choice was not an option; when Sky and Brandon noticed he'd left, they'd give him an earful for the next few days and he didn't feel like dealing with that. The second option wasn't too enticing either, which left the third. Riven sighed "Fuck it. Fine, I'll help."

She smiled up at him and gave a light chuckle. He knew that he wanted her to hate him so that he could avoid having to deal with the feelings he was having for her, but he loved her smile. Maybe having her like him wouldn't be too bad? Maybe they could just be friends? He could repress his feelings enough, right?

***

"I just don't think it's fair that only Sky and I were separated" Stella cried for the fifth time.

"Stella. I have told you four times already: it was so that you would work instead of flirting. Clearly, my idea was flawed as I did not take into account your whinging."

"Stell" Bloom said, "I hate to have to say this, but you need to shut the hell up and just clean."

"Bloom" Brandon said softly, "isn't that a bit mean?"

Stella looked at the redhead in shock. How dare she talk to her like that? "Why are yo -"

"Look" Bloom said, cutting off any more of Stella's complaints "the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to the partying and you can see Sky."

The rest of their time was spent in relative silence broken occasionally by Stella's deep, dramatic sighs.

***

Both groups sat on the floor in the main hall. They'd been cleaning for over an hour and were finally finished. "Now we can party" Bloom laughed, lying back on the ground, her arms behind her head.

"Not so fast" Stella said "we have to get ready for the party first."

"Get ready?" Flora asked uncertainly.

"We have to change into the outfits we've prepared, for starters. Maybe a little hair and makeup touch ups... or I suppose in Musa and Tecna's cases, application."

"We prepared outfits?" Tecna asked.

"I think she means she prepared outfits for us." Musa replied.

"I simply want everyone to look their best... that means no torn jeans, Musa." Stella looked down at Musa's pants in disdain.

"How thoughtful" Musa rolled her eyes, completely unsurprised that the blond had chosen her to pick on.

Stella got up and started heading up towards their dorm, pulling Musa and Tecna by the arm since she knew they'd be the most reluctant to her makeovers. Flora and Bloom looked at each other questioningly as they followed behind. "You boys should follow; you can wait in the common room while we change."

***

Stella brought the girls up to the mezzanine level of her room where her closet was. "These are the outfits I've picked out for you." (3)

Flora walked over to the outfits Stella was showing them and picked up a pair of satin-y dark green pants. "These are mine. Did you go through our closets?"

"I figured you might be more receptive to your own clothes, with a small touch of yours truly" Stella bowed. "I must say, I was shocked to discover Musa and Tecna actually own skirts."

"Why do you keep digging on us? Who gives a shit if we prefer pants?" Musa asked.

Stella simply shrugged. She loved Musa dearly and knew that she preferred comfort over fashion, but she had a dancer's legs and ass, and her loose jeans were simply not showing those off. "I found this cute little number in your closet" she said, picking up a burgundy miniskirt and a strapless black corset top, "I thought it would go wonderfully with this, which I surprisingly also found in your closet. Bit of a party girl, were we?" she paused waiting to see if Musa would reply. When she didn't, Stella moved on. "And my black ankle boots to finish the ensemble since, according to my renaissance mission, we take the same shoe size."

"I believe Stella means reconnaissance mission" Tecna corrected.

Musa looked at the outfit that Stella held; it had been one of Cecilia's picks for a party they'd gone to this past summer that Musa's crush at the time would be at. How ironic that she'd be wearing it again to another party that her new crush would be at. "He won't be able to keep his eyes off of you" Stella commented, almost as if reading the musical fairy's mind. "What are you talking about?" Musa asked, playing dumb like she did anytime someone brought up Riven.

"You know very well what I'm talking about dahling; mister tall, dark and grumpy. You know the one you spent half our time in Black Mud Swamp eye fucking. While I don't necessarily approve, I can't deny the chemistry and, well, if you've got a thing for bad boys, so be it."

Musa sighed. There was no point in arguing; the other three girls already knew about her crush on Riven and Stella had clearly figured it out on her own. Musa grabbed her clothes from Stella's hands and stripped off her jeans and t-shirt. "Be sure to put on the makeup I've picked out for you."

"Stella, there's a whole fucking routine here. You'll get mascara and lipstick." Musa said, picking up the tube of dark red lipstick. She actually liked the colour, but she'd never tell Stella that.

"Ugh, fine. For Flora, I've kept it classic and elegant, just like you: a satin pair of dark green flared pants with this gorgeous ivory tank top with floral detailing that my grandmother got me last year, finished off with the cute pair of green strappy heels you wore to the welcome back dance."

"I love that shirt, Stella" Flora said, reaching out to touch it.

"I thought you would; it's yours if you'd like it. I've only ever worn it once."

Flora grabbed the clothes from Stella and made her way over to the blond's private bathroom. Musa may be comfortable stripping down in front of them, but Flora wasn't. Her body was hers and, though she wore short skirts and crop tops, she preferred to keep private bits private.

"For Tecna, I've picked out this black mini dress with this adorable light purple cardigan I found in your closet. I also picked out these cute light purple flats that Flora has since apparently you two also take the same size. I figured Tecna in a dress would be already pushing my luck and you might be willing to put on some makeup if I didn't make you wear heels." Stella flashed her most innocent and pleading smile at Tecna, who just sighed and shook her head. "I will wear mascara but nothing else."

"Not even a little lip gloss in a neutral shade?"

Tecna sighed again as she made her way to the bathroom. Much like Flora, she wasn't comfortable changing in front of the girls. She'd gotten used to Musa since they were roommates, but not so much the others. "Fine."

Stella clapped her hands excitedly. This was going much better than expected; she'd anticipated a lot more fight from Musa and Tecna, Musa in particular. "For Bloom, this cute blue swing mini skirt with a white crop top, paired with these cute white booties you bought while we were out last week."

"What are you going to wear?" Bloom asked, knowing Stella was dying to talk about her outfit. The girl lived for fashion.

"I'm glad you asked." Stella smiled, stripping down. "I've chosen to wear these adorable orange skinny pants with this lacy white long sleeve crop top and these white wedges."

***

"I don't understand why they needed to change" Timmy said, picking up a handful of chips. Bloom had convinced Stella they should go pick up the food and drinks they'd put aside on their way up and Timmy was super grateful for it; he hadn't eaten much at dinner, saving space for the nachos from Magix Stadium that he wouldn't get to enjoy.

"Because they're chicks; it's what they do" Sky replied.

"But we've been with them for over an hour. Why change in the middle of that?" Timmy countered.

"Girls are weird?" Brandon offered as a possible explanation. Sky nodded in agreement so Timmy stopped trying to be logical.

Sky walked over to the food and drinks table which sat by Riven who, much like he had earlier that evening, stood against the wall with his arms crossed. "Dude, at least try to have fun" he said, pouring himself a glass of juice. Riven shot Sky a glare in response.

"Voila!" a high voice said from the far corner of the room. Sky looked up to see Stella posing just outside of her door.

"You look nice, Stella!" Brandon said.

"Nice? Bro, she looks great!" Sky said, smiling up at the princess.

"Thank you boys" she giggled before turning back towards her room with a gasp. "Should we do a fashion show?"

"Absolutely not" Musa replied pushing past Stella, pausing to scowl at her before continuing on.

Sky looked at her in shock, the glass he'd just poured slipping from his hands. He'd seen her in a dress at the dance, sure, and she looked great, but now, she looked... hot? He looked around him; Timmy was shaking his head at Sky having dropped the glass, as was Brandon. Riven hadn't looked up yet, though. Sky set his sights on observing Riven's reaction to Musa's outfit, but he was distracted when he heard the dark haired fairy say: "What the fuck man? We just cleaned this entire school; don't make us have to clean our dorm too." She turned, opening the door to what he assumed to be her room.

"Where are you going Musa?" Bloom asked.

Brandon looked over to her and smiled. He'd been so distracted with Sky's mess that he hadn't noticed the other girls walk out of Stella's room. Bloom looked beautiful, as always, he thought to himself, but the short skirt was definitely working in her favour. And the bright blue colours only seemed to bring out the blue of her eyes and make the red of her hair pop more.

Timmy, however, had noticed the other girls when they walked out of the room. What Sky had assumed was him shaking his head at the broken glass was actually Timmy trying to shake the ungentlemanly thoughts he'd just had about Tecna; about how her short skirt showed off her long legs and how the V neck showed off just enough cleavage to tell you she had breasts, but mostly about how he wished the dress wasn't there. How he would love to admire her and kiss her and make love to her. He'd only ever kissed one girl before and that was on a dare so it was bland. Kissing Tecna would be utter bliss.

"I usually find that when bribing someone, it's best to follow through" Musa replied with a grin.

"Who did you bribe?" Brandon laughed.

"Riven?" Sky guessed, earning a nod and a wink from the dark haired fairy.

"I was wondering how you'd gotten him to participate" Flora chuckled. "If it weren't for the fact that we'd lost our powers, I'd assume you had put a spell on him, but no. It was just good old fashioned bribery."

Sky saying his name was what got Riven to look up, wondering why the prince had been calling him. He had been lost in debate of whether or not he should just leave and deal with Sky's bitching later so he'd missed the last bit of conversation. He made eye contact with the prince who signaled at him to look at something with his eyes. Turning his head, Riven caught sight of what Sky had been pointing at.

Musa.

Musa in a short skirt and a tight strapless top.

His heartbeat quickened and his lips went dry. She was laughing at whatever it was that Flora had just said, but Riven hadn't caught whatever it was. He was struck again by how much he loved her laugh and he realised that he'd been wrong earlier when he thought maybe he could be friends with her. She pushed her door open and went into the room. It was only when she was out of sight that he let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

Sky was so happy that he'd been able to witness Riven noticing Musa, if only to reaffirm his belief that the magenta haired specialist was totally captivated by her. The poor boy looked like a deer in headlights. Sky really wanted them to be together, but he also enjoyed watching his friend be completely speechless and uncertain. It was nice to know there was something in this universe that could properly shut him up.

Flora, though actively participating in the conversation around her, was also taking note of how the boys reacted to her friends. Being the third girl to exit Stella's room, she'd missed Sky's reaction but she'd heard him; she'd seen the way Brandon's eyes lit up when Bloom had come out; she'd noticed Timmy blush furiously when Tecna came out; and she would have had to be blind to miss Riven eyes widen and fixate on Musa once he'd seen her. She was fully supportive of all her friends' crushed, even Riven. Ever the optimist, Flora believed there was good in him, even if it wasn't immediately obvious.

Musa exited the room carrying two bottles. She walked right up to Riven and showed them to him; one dark rum, one whiskey. "Pick your poison."

Riven nodded his head towards the whiskey, not trusting himself to reach out for it. He was worried that if he did, their hands might touch. And if their hands touched, he might be tempted to pull her towards him. And if he gave in to the temptation to pull her in, he'd likely give into the temptation to kiss her, and to run his hand through her hair, and to push her up against him. If he gave in to those, he was screwed because then he'd want more of her and he worried that, knowing what her lips tasted like and how her body felt against his, the temptation to do it again might be even stronger.

"Good choice" she laughed, putting the bottle down beside him.

"Musa" Flora scolded. "Are you keeping bottles of alcohol in your room?"

Musa, still facing Riven, gave a guilty look. "No... I stole these from Tecna's side of the room."

"She absolutely did not." Tecna replied, aghast that Musa would even suggest that Tecna had been breaking school rules, completely ignoring the fact that she'd done so plenty of times - tonight included.

"Don't worry Tec, I know she's lying." Flora said softly. Turning back towards Musa, her voice hardened. "I can't believe you'd be so reckless; what if they had searched our rooms?"

"Oh it's no biggie" Stella cut in. "When's the last time they searched someone's room? Besides, she's probably not the only girl on campus with a secret stash of booze..."

"Stella..." Flora said sternly, immediately catching what the blond was implying. "Do you have alcohol in your room too?"

"Maybe." Stella shrugged, avoiding Flora's glare, instead, catching the amused look on Musa's face.

"Stella" Bloom warned.

"Okay, so I might have a bottle of vodka and gin in my room. It's only for special occasions." She smiled brightly, "like tonight?"

Eventually, they'd convinced Flora and Tecna that having some alcohol wouldn't be that bad. The boys would be gone before the other students got back and the girls would then go directly to bed. It would be nice and calm and no one would get in trouble. With that settled, Musa connected her phone to the Bluetooth speakers she had and put on some music, effectively starting the 'party' portion of the evening.

***

Stella danced her way over to the drinks, pouring herself some of the alcoholic punch mixture she and Musa had made. "This is fun, right?" she said to Flora, who she noticed was pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the container. "Aren't you going to have a drink?"

"I am having a drink, Stella" Flora replied, lifting her glass.

"No silly, a drink drink"

"I don't want one. I'm perfectly fine with juice."

"Oh come on, Flo, don't be such a buzzkill. Have a drink."

Stella continued to push the nature fairy who continued to refuse. Stella just wanted Flora to relax a bit; she'd been so uptight lately. Eventually, a deep voice cut in behind them.

"She told you she didn't want any, just leave her the fuck alone." The girls turned in shock to see Riven, who'd actually been near them the whole time, glaring down at Stella.

"Okay geez" Stella said, making her way back to the 'dance floor' and Bloom.

"Thank you" Flora said softly to the angry specialist who nodded at her before walking away. See, she knew he wasn't all bad.

***

"You go Stella" Bloom laughed as she danced with the blond.

"Go Bloom!" Stella replied before realising something. "Wait. What the hell do you think you're doing dancing with me? Get on over there. I know you've had your eye on mister blond and blue all night long."

"I have no idea what you're talking about"

Stella shook her head. "Coyness will only get you so far Bloom; don't be afraid to go for what you want. Ask Brandon to dance with you."

Bloom made her way over to Brandon, her heart racing. She would ask him to dance, no biggie. They'd spent the entire evening together at the welcome back dance, so obviously he had some interest in her, right? But what if he didn't, a small part of her mind asked. Yeah, what if he didn't? What if he was just being nice? Or playing with her? She was about to turn around but he'd already seen her making her way towards him. "Hey Bloom"

"Hi Brandon..."

"Hi Bloom"

Gods, why was this so hard? She'd dated guys before, why did this one make her so nervous? She looked up at him; he smiled at her and she instantly felt her nerves dissipate. "Do you want to dance?"

He nodded, the smile never leaving his lips. He put down his drink and grabbed her outstretched hand, letting her lead him onto the 'dance floor'.

"You're a pretty good dancer" she laughed.

"I'm much better at slow dances"

"Yeah, you're pretty good at those too."

***

Tecna had taken the spot on the couch next to Timmy after Brandon had gotten up to get a sandwich. She wasn't the type to approach guys at all; she'd never actually seen much interest in the opposite sex, but Timmy was different. Something about him pulled at her and she wanted to be near him, so she almost jumped at the chance to sit next to him, something that did not escape Flora's attention.

"How have you been?" She asked shyly.

"Good. Busy with school." He responded equally shyly. He noticed Bloom and Sky dancing together and decided to take a chance, hopefully it wouldn't fail. "Do you like to dance Tecna?"

"Not especially. I do not really know any dance steps." She answered, remembering how Musa had forced her to dance at the welcome back dance and she'd been rather clumsy. Musa had insisted that that didn't matter, what mattered was whether or not you'd enjoyed yourself, but she would think that considering she actually knew how to dance.

Timmy kicked himself. Of course Tecna wouldn't want to dance; she didn't seem very into it at the dance, so why would she want to now? "I'll tell you the steps I know. Step one: don't dance. Get it?" He said, attempting to salvage the situation with a joke. Hopefully she'd find that endearing. He'd never get to find out though, since Riven, who'd been standing next to them decided to pitch in.

"Woah, Timmy! Keep falling like that and we'll call you Timber."

Timmy glared at him. At least he was trying. He heard Tecna scoff and looked over at her. She hadn't been amused by Riven's joke so he considered that a win. "Do not listen to him Timmy."

Tecna couldn't fathom what Musa saw in Riven; every encounter she'd had with him had been unpleasant so she gathered that he, himself, was just an unpleasant person. She appreciated that Timmy had asked her to dance, even if she didn't want to. And though his joke had been cheesy, she thought it was cute.

***

Musa and Sky sat on the armchair; Sky on the seat, Musa on the arm. They'd been watching Stella dance. Or, rather, he'd been watching Stella dance and she'd been watching him, amused that he was too nervous to ask her even though she was clearly into him. "Just go dance with her, dude."

He looked up at her and she motioned her head towards the 'dance floor'. She was right; he should just get over his nerves about Stella and the whole prince vs personality thing. It's just, during the cleaning, he'd somehow worked himself up about it and now all he could think about was the fact that she was a princess and he was, well, him. But first, he would challenge her: "Why don't you go ask him?"

"Shut up."

"Musa, come dance with me." Stella shouted. She was completely unaware that she could've had Sky as a dance partner if she'd just been patient another few seconds.

Musa got up, turning back to Sky with a laugh. "Looks like you missed your shot, bud. Maybe you should go ask him since I'm about to steal your dance partner."

She made her way over to Stella, pulling Flora up in the process. The poor girl was left on her own and Musa didn't like seeing her friends being the outcast. They danced around, singing along and enjoying themselves. Musa - and Flora for that matter - was aware of Riven's eyes on her the entire time.

After two or three songs, Sky finally made his way to the 'dance floor'. Musa was right, what the hell was he waiting for? The only way to figure out if Stella actually liked him was to interact with her.

"Hi Stella"

"Sky! Hi." Gods, tone it down Stella, she thought. You don't want him to think you're desperate.

"Do you want to dance?"

"Well I'm already dancing" she laughed, "but I'd be happy to have you join me."

***

Musa and Flora had stopped dancing in favour of having some food. Flora's stomach had started grumbling two songs ago and she remembered that she hadn't eaten since lunch and it was now almost 9:15. She stuffed herself with the sandwiches she and Bloom had made.

"Damn Flo, slow down would ya?" Musa laughed, pulling at Flora's arm to get the sandwich out of her face.

"I'm so hungry. I only had a soup for lunch and I've not eaten since."

"You're gonna give yourself indigestion."

"It's fine, I've got a tea for that."

Musa laughed. Of course Flora would have a tea for indigestion - she really did have a tea for everything. "Are you okay?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"You've been snappy and sarcastic since yesterday, and you yelled at us."

"Oh, yeah" Flora sighed, "This whole no powers thing is really stressing me out. I've never failed a class before and I really don't want to start now."

"I get that. We'll be fine." Leaning against the table, Musa took in the room around her. Bloom and Brandon were dancing, and Sky had finally gotten off his ass and was now dancing with Stella. She caught his eye and gave him a thumb up. "Hey Flo?"

"Hm?" Flora replied, her mouth full of sandwich.

"You think it's time for me to play DJ and line up a slow song?"

"Definitely" Flora laughed, "you might even get Timmy and Tecna up and dancing."

"Ha. Doubt that." Musa replied, changing the song. "Dance with me?"

"Sure..." Flora replied, following Musa onto the 'dance floor', "but why don't you ask you-know-who?"

"Something tells me he's not a big dancer." Musa rested her arms on Flora's shoulders and they started to slowly sway. Behind Flora, Bloom and Brandon, and Stella and Sky were dancing. Musa caught both girls giving her a thankful grin.

***

Timmy and Tecna sat in near silence for a few minutes, neither too sure how to start the conversation following Riven's insult. Tecna watched the girls dance; she wished she was as comfortable in her skin as they were. Dancing had always made her feel awkward and the mini dress Stella had put her in wasn't helping. She tugged at the hem of the dress, wishing it longer.

"So... how are you enjoying Alfea?" Timmy asked, cutting through the silence.

"I like the classes, although falling behind is not ideal. Living with so many people is still taking some getting used to" she replied, grateful that he'd found something to talk about even if it was small talk.

"Oh? Not used to being around this many people?"

"No, I am an only child so it has just been me and my parents my entire life. And then, of course, there is getting used to rooming with someone like Musa."

"You don't like Musa? She seems nice to me..."

"Oh, quite the opposite. I like her a lot; it is just that she is, um, very loud. I am, as are my parents, a quiet person so there has never been much noise in our home."

"I understand that. I'm an only child too."

"And how has living with the boys been in comparison to living with your parents?" She asked, thankful to have the topic off of her.

"Interesting... I room with Riven so, you know."

Tecna simply nodded, not wanting the broach the subject of the brute that her friend found so enticing.

Musa had changed the music and Timmy looked over to Stella and Sky, Brandon and Bloom, and Musa and Flora slow dancing. He wished he'd had the courage to ask Tecna to dance again, but she'd already rejected that once and he didn't want to be pushy or come on too strong, or get rejected again. So he turned to the subject that he knew would maintain conversation. "Have you heard that they're re-releasing 'Age of Origin' (4) with new special features and bonus levels?"

***

Sky looked over to Musa with a grin as he and Stella slowly turned on the spot. After the music had changed, Stella looked up at him with a small smile and a shrug as if to indicate 'well guess we should slow dance' before resting her hands on his shoulders. He felt his body relax when she laid her hands on him; as if she had this naturally calming ability. He placed his hands on the small of her back and led her into a gentle sway. He could get used to being this close to her and that worried him. For now, however, he chose to push that worry back and just enjoy being around her.

Stella followed Sky's sway, enjoying the way his hands felt on her back. She was happy she'd worn a crop top because it meant his hands were partially on her bare back and she could feel the warmth of his skin. He exuded warmth; she could feel it anytime she was near him. Not just body warmth either, he was warm - his heart and soul - she could tell.

"This is nice" she said softly. She'd never been one to be speechless around guys, or in general, but Sky made her feel tongue tied. She had fallen fast with him; he wasn't even hers yet but she could swear she was in love already. Her boyfriends had always been more into her than she into them so she never got hurt when it ended because she was always the one to end things. With Sky, though, she was at risk and that scared her.

"It is."

***

Brandon had offered Bloom his hand as soon as the music changed. She'd graciously accepted, stepping closer to him and resting her arm around his neck. He knew he shouldn't be getting this close to her; it wasn't smart. In fact, it was downright reckless. But he couldn't help himself; Bloom made him feel like jelly and that was a feeling he'd never gotten around her. He was certain of how he felt about Bloom and he had a good feeling that it was returned. He wanted to be with her, he just had to figure out how.

Bloom rested her head against his chest. He would figure out how tomorrow. For now, he would enjoy her presence.

Bloom liked having her head against Brandon's chest; she could hear the beat of his heart and the gentle rhythm soothed her. She'd always liked hearing people's heartbeats; she'd rest her head against her ex's chest, or against her mom and dad's chests when she was little, and feel her body relax. Brandon's was no different, plus it came with the advantage of having his arm around her and his hand in hers.

Once the song ended, Brandon made his way over to the food and refreshments table. Picking up a sandwich and a refill on Bloom's drink - he had been raised to always be considerate of his date - he smiled at Riven. "Hey, having fun? I sure am."

Riven scoffed. "Good for you. I'm glad someone is. I'm getting some air."

***

He stood on the balcony, looking over Alfea's empty campus. Alfea definitely had a much nicer campus than Red Fountain - newer, better maintained, never subject to wars. He leaned against the railing, looking down at the four levi-bikes parked beneath the window. He could just call for his bike and get out of there; having to watch Musa dance was torture.

The sound of footsteps pulled him out of his thoughts. After years by himself on the streets, he'd become hyper-aware of his surroundings; a skill that had proven useful in a few missions so far. The steps were light - definitely female - and he could hear the clicking of heels so it was not Tecna. With his luck, it would be Musa.

"Did you come out here to pout?" A melodic voice asked. Yup, Musa.

He turned his head back to look at her, purple meeting dark blue. That was a mistake. They stood in near silence for a minute neither willing to take their eyes off the other, the smile on her dark red lips never faltering.

"You said it wasn't a party without booze. You've got alcohol, so why are you being a party pooper?" She asked, finally moving her eyes and stepping up beside him.

"I never said I liked parties - just that it wasn't really a party without alcohol."

He heard her scoff beside him and he was almost certain she was rolling her eyes at him. She rested her hand on the railing, bringing her leg up to unzip her boots. "Do you get some sort of kick out of being a pain in the ass?" He smirked; he actually did enjoy pissing people off a bit.

She'd taken off her boots and was now looking at him intently. He could feel her eyes boring into him. Eventually, she turned her attention to the campus before her. "I'll take that as a yes" she laughed before going silent. He took that moment to let himself look at her; he cheeks were flushed, presumably from dancing, and she'd changed her hair from its usual pigtails to a single small bun at the nape of her neck. Even with the dark makeup and skimpy clothes, she looked elegant. The way she carried herself - her posture, the calm on her face, the way her hands rested lightly on the railing, all of it, all of her - reminded him of how different their lives had been; how different they were. But, despite that, he found himself more amused than anything. Not by her status - that he found rather depressing - but by tiny she was. She couldn't weigh more than 110 pounds, 120 if she had more muscle than she appeared to, and she was a whole foot shorter than him, just like he'd guessed she was at the dance.

Musa felt his eyes on her, so she took that chance and looked back at him. She was surprised to find something of a smile instead of his usual smirk or cocky grin. "What?"

"Nothing" he replied, shaking his head.

"Tell me" she laughed.

"I just never realised how..." How should he tell her that she's short? Most of the short people he'd ever met had not been too pleased to be told that.

"How?"

"How, um... tiny... you are."

Her smile faded and she glared at him. That was not the right word. "Mhm. Well. I prefer 'concentrated awesomeness' or 'fun sized', but yes, I'm short. Thanks for pointing that out" she retorted, crossing her arms.

Great. He'd pissed her off. Wait... why was that bad? He'd wanted her to not like him; pissing her off was the way to do that. "It's not a bad thing."

She continued to glare at him refusing to say anything else.

"It's... cute."

Why?! Why was he still talking?!

She looked up at him in shock; had he just called her cute? She shook her head after a few seconds. This was a good thing! He thought she was cute. She looked back over to him; he had turned his head, facing towards the campus again, and the scowl had returned to his face. His shoulders were tense; his hands grasped the railing firmly. He was uncomfortable, she realised. "We should head back inside." She didn't want him to be uncomfortable around her, so letting him out of the situation was best, even if she'd wanted to press on.

***

"...And at this point, there's still ten Frost Giants left" Timmy said.

"You guys must've been freaking out!" Bloom commented.

"You should've seen these things. They've got biceps the size of oak trees." Sky flexed his right arm and demonstrated the size of the giants' biceps with his left. His attempt at showing off his muscles not lost on anyone at the party.

"Frost Giants are usually very gentle" Flora mentioned.

"Not these guys" Sky laughed.

Stella was annoyed. She wanted Sky to be paying attention to her, but Bloom had asked the guys their best mission stories and Sky had happily jumped into that conversation. Picking up the tray of sandwiches, she did the only thing she could think of without flat out demanding his attention. "Hey, do you, uh, want the last sandwich Sky?"

"No, but I'm kinda thirsty" he replied looking down at his empty drink. He would get himself another one once they'd finished the story.

"Oh. Voila" Stella replied, reaching over to grab the pitcher of punch.

'Thanks" he said, a bit shocked that the princess had been willing to serve him. "So finally we -"

A strong shake went through the building, knocking Bloom off the arm of the couch onto Tecna and causing Stella to spill the punch she was pouring all over Sky's hand and wrist.

"What's that?" Bloom asked, taking the hand Musa had extended to help her up.

"Maybe a dragon got loose?" Flora shrugged.

"I'll check outside..." Stella offered, only realising that she might be walking into a dangerous situation by the time she'd gotten to the door. Thankfully, Riven, Musa and Timmy had followed her out. "I don't see anything. It must've just been a little mini-quake. Oh well, no biggie."

A loud crash from across campus made her jump. A desk had just been thrown out a window so maybe she was wrong.

Riven whistled and all four levi-bikes rose up to the level of the balcony. The boys jumped over the banister and onto the bikes like they were in an action movie and rode off towards the crash. (5)

Musa looked back at girls, struggling to put her boots back on. "Was that really necessary? I mean, they could just walk over there. It's not that far."

"Come on" Bloom said, leading the way back into the dorm and then out onto the quad where the boys were.

***

"Half the wall is gone" Brandon said, looking around.

"See anything?" Musa asked, earning a head shake from Sky. They made their way into the building and over to the class the desk had been thrown from. Whatever had happened had caused major damages; not only to the window but to the classroom itself. Desks were scattered all over the place and a giant hole reaching almost to the top of the ten foot ceiling ran through the next three walls.

"This damage was caused by some kind of creature" Timmy stated.

"A very big creature" Tecna agreed, running her finger along the grooves the creature had left in the wall.

"Really?" Riven said sarcastically. "Tell us something we don't know."

Tecna glared at him. "It is three meters tall and weighs close to a ton. Its fur is bristly, not soft; it walks upright; has horns in addition to multiple clawed limbs and it gives off a foul, musky odor."

Musa snorted a laugh, earning a glare from the magenta haired specialist. She shrugged her shoulders at him; it wasn't her fault he'd chosen to be a smart ass with Tecna.

Stella laughed. She usually hated when Tecna played know-it-all because she was usually the one being corrected, but it was fantastic when she was putting Riven in his place. "She told you."

The ground shook beneath them, causing Stella to stumble backwards into Flora. The nature fairy caught her and pushed her upright. "You okay?" Flora asked, receiving a nod from Stella.

"It's that way" Brandon said, pointing to the far end of the holes in the walls. Between the dark in the building and the dark outside, it was nearly impossible to make any objects out that weren't in their immediate vicinity.

"Come on guys, phantoblades out" Sky said, extending his broadsword from the hilt he carried.

Bloom and the girls had wanted to come too, which of course Brandon had readily accepted. Riven didn't think that was a good idea; he didn't want the girls getting in the way of them catching this thing and he didn't want to deal with them possibly getting hurt, especially Musa. "No way, you girls just go find someplace to hide. You'll get in the way." He caught the scowl Musa had thrown his way, but he didn't really have time to care about the fact that he'd pissed her off - they had a beast to catch.

Brandon shrugged at Bloom in apology. Timmy and Sky had gone ahead already so only he and Riven had heard Bloom insist the girls come too. He knew Riven's dismissal had been rude, but he might be right; they couldn't risk anything happening to the girls, so he shrugged and followed behind Riven, hoping that Bloom wasn't too angry at what had just happened.

"Fuck that" Musa said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

"Wait" Tecna cried, "Musa; can you still use your sonar hearing even without magic?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Can you use it to hear the creature? Maybe that will tell us where to look instead of having to wait for it to do something every time we lose its trail."

"Good thinking Tec. Why is it you always seem to remember my sonar hearing and I don't?" Musa laughed.

Musa had managed to hear the creature shuffling around on the second floor in the teachers' corridor, so that's where they'd headed. They were making their way up the south staircase beside the potions lab when they heard heavy footsteps.

"That must be it" Stella said, no longer certain if hunting this thing down was a good idea.

"Probably, or the boys managed to get up the stairs before us and decided to go stomping around" Bloom replied.

They made it to the top of the stairs, but the sound had stopped. "It sure did get quiet all of a sudden" Flora commented.

"Maybe it went away?" Bloom suggested hopefully.

"I don't think so... I still feel something unsettling" Flora remarked.

"Could be all the sandwiches you scarfed down" Stella joked.

A low growl caught Musa's attention. "Shhh" she said, putting her hand over Stella's mouth. "Did you hear that?"

Stella pushed Musa's arm down, shooting her a dirty look. "I don't hear anything."

"If you had sonar ears like Musa you would" Tecna remarked.

Musa turned to the right; in the direction she'd heard the growl. It wasn't making anymore noise though, so she had to go off of any breaths that she caught. She moved slowly down the hall, eyes downcast, focusing more on the sounds around her than anything else. A large object sent her falling backwards. Strange, there shouldn't be a wall there, she thought. Looking up, she saw a gigantic, blue beast with four strong arms and a thick red mane straightening up. "I think I just bumped the butt of our party crasher" she said, pushing herself backwards and scrambling to her feet.

The beast turned around and let out a deafening roar. Fluids escaped its mouth and nose, landing mainly on Stella who happened to be the closest. "Bull snot?! How rude... YOU ARE SO GONNA GET IT!"

"Stella, no." Bloom cried, pulling her back. "We don't have our powers, remember?"

Stella's eyes opened wide; she'd completely forgotten about that. Her heart started beating faster - they were so doomed. Why had they gone looking for this thing in the first place if they had no powers? Whose stupid idea was that?!

The girls took no time in running, heading back down the stairs they'd just come up. Flora tripped on the bottom step, tumbling to the ground. She'd barely had time to push up to her knees and dust herself off when Stella grabbed her arm and hauled her up, yelling at her to hurry.

Tecna led the way towards the main hall, hoping to run into the boys at some point. She was never one to need to be saved by a 'hero', but considering they didn't have any powers, she was more than happy to let the boys step in.

"That Minotaur is a speedy little fucker" Musa commented, looking back to see it right on their trail. The enormous beast let out another deafening roar and stomped its feet, causing the building to rumble beneath them and sending the girls crashing to the ground.

Musa looked up in time to see the monster jump at them, readying itself to land on them. "Incoming!"

Bloom rolled out of the way just in time. The Minotaur had landed right where she'd been, sending debris flying and causing the ground to shake again. It reared its head towards Tecna, who had gone flying against the wall after the first shake. "Tecna, look out!"

Tecna turned around to see horns headed right at her head. Acting purely on impulse, she jumped upwards narrowly avoiding being crushed or impaled. Instead, she landed on the Minotaur's head and slid down its back to land safely on her feet.

Stella moved up to look at the beast and got a good whiff of that 'foul, musky odour' Tecna had mentioned earlier. "This thing really stinks. Here little beast, this ought to help." She smiled, pulling out a bottle of perfume.

"Do you just carry around a bottle of perfume?" Musa asked, not quite understanding what Stella was doing. She watched in horror as Stella sprayed the beast, causing it to shake in anger and setting itself free. "Great Stella, make him angry."

"Time to run again!" Bloom shouted, continuing into the east hallway.

Musa, who was at the back of the group this time, could sense the Minotaur right behind her. She spared a glance backwards to see it preparing to attack. Her instinct was to transform and fly, but of course, that wasn't an option, so she did the next best thing: she jumped up towards the wall, kicking herself back and succeeding in pushing the Minotaur down.

Thank the Gods that worked, she thought to herself as she fell to the ground. She felt a sharp blow to her stomach, forcing her backwards. Clearly she'd celebrated a bit too soon. She braced herself for a landing that never came. Instead, she felt herself hit flesh; someone had caught her. She didn't bother looking up, she didn't really care who it was. She was just thankful she hadn't hit the ground; the blow to her stomach was painful enough.

The guys had followed the rumbling and roars to the other hall, finding the beast just in time to see Musa narrowly avoid being crushed by it and then thrown back. Riven groaned; why couldn't those stupid pixies just stay out of the way like he'd told them to?

She was flying right towards him. If that hadn't been the case, he would've let Sky or Brandon catch her, but they were at the other end of the hallway. And he wasn't about to let her hit the ground because he was too stubborn. So he caught her, so what? That didn't mean he genuinely cared about her - he just thought she was hot. And funny. And talented. And maybe he liked the way her eyes shone when she laughed, and the sound of her laugh. And maybe he liked the way her dark hair had reflected the moonlight when he'd been looking at her up on the balcony. And maybe he liked the way she didn't look away nervously when their eyes met; instead she looked him dead on, almost challenging him to look away first. That didn't mean anything.

Like when you touch something hot, his first instinct when he'd caught her was to pull his arms back. But then he'd drop her and that would be counterproductive to having caught her in the first place. So he kept his arms firmly under her knees and upper back, cradling her against him. He refused to admit to himself that he liked the way she felt in his arms.

The fairy threw her head back letting out a sigh of relief, her eyes closed the whole time. He looked her over - assessing her for any wounds, of course. Obviously, it would be when he got to her face that she would open her eyes.

Musa let in a small inhale when she caught sight of the familiar purple eyes looking her over. At first, she'd been excited that he'd saved her - not that she needed to be saved; she wasn't a freaking damsel in distress. But then she noticed that his brow had furrowed and he was glaring at her. Was he pissed off? Seriously? She'd just taken a hit from a damn Minotaur and he was going to give her non-verbal shit?

She squirmed in his arms so he gently let her down. He looked away, fixing his gaze on the beast before them. She thought she saw a grin form on his face - was he happy?

"Are you okay?" she heard Sky ask. She turned to face him, nodding.

"Now this is my kind of party" Riven laughed.

"What a strange boy" Brandon muttered to himself.

"Hey, you with the ponytail" Riven shouted, banging his saber against the ground until the Minotaur turned around to face him. "If you want a real challenge come over here." He charged at the beast, swinging left and right. For something so huge, it was rather agile, managing to avoid every single one of his attacks. The Minotaur made a fist and swung at Riven, who jumped out of the way just in time.

"Need a hand there bro?" Brandon asked, readying himself to attack.

"Just worry about your prince, squire boy" Riven spat back.

"Woah now" Sky laughed. "Don't think you're getting all the fun, Riven."

"Yeah, save some for us." Brandon said.

The girls stood around watching them. Should they be doing something? They could distract the Minotaur while the boys took him down, but instead the boys seemed focused on one-upping each other and showing off.

"I can handle the -" Riven started to say, turning back to face the Minotaur only to see a fist coming right at him. The monster caught him on the cheek, and shoulder, and chest - it really did have gigantic hands. Riven went flying through a window, landing with a heavy thud in one of the lecture halls.

"Riven" Timmy cried, not getting a response from his roommate. He must have been knocked unconscious, Timmy reasoned. Or he was dead. Timmy really hoped he wasn't dead. Riven wasn't the ideal roommate, his being a jerk half the time and all, but he wasn't disgusting and filthy or just downright stupid like some of the other guys in their school. Who knew what kind of idiot Timmy would get stuck with if Riven wasn't around?

Bloom gasped. She didn't particularly care for Riven, but she didn't want him getting knocked around either. She glanced at Musa, who was staring wide eyed at the broken window. Bloom could sense that she wanted to go see if he was okay and was holding herself back.

"That looked like it hurt" Flora remarked.

"Trust me" Musa replied, rubbing her ribs where the Minotaur had gotten her, "it did."

"Maybe we should go see if he's okay" Flora said sweetly, also sensing that Musa was worried about him.

"Yeah, go. It's not like the guys seem to want any help." Bloom rolled her eyes, pointing to the three other boys who continued to swing at beast with little success.

Musa and Flora had started walking towards the door to the lecture hall, trying to not draw the monster's attention, when it finally got its winning swings in, knocking all three boys against the wall. "Or not" Bloom said, retracting her earlier statement. "We've gotta do something!"

"If only we had our powers" Tecna said, finally joining the conversation. She had been trying to come up with a solution but couldn't think of anything that didn't involve magic or technology. Was she too dependent on them?

"Yoo-hoo, knock-knock, housekeeping," Stella said, arriving with mops, buckets and soap. "Look what I've got."

Bloom looked at the blond curiously. When had she walked away? She shook her head - that didn't matter right now. She looked at the cleaning supplies in her hands, understanding exactly what she was thinking. "Excellent idea, Stella."

The three other girls looked at her uncertainly. Sure, cleaning the school again was going to be necessary, but was this really the right time? Bloom looked back at them and giggled then explained the plan.

The laid the buckets on the ground and started banging on them, shouting to get the Minotaur's attention. "Wanna dance?" Stella laughed, throwing a mop at its head, causing it to roar angrily before taking off after them. The girls had taken off running as soon as Stella threw the mop, knowing full well the beast would chase them.

Bloom looked over at Musa who held the other bottle of soap. "Ready?"

"You betcha" Musa laughed, twisting off the cap of her bottle.

"Slippery when wet!" Bloom shouted, suppressing her laughter.

The two girls turned their bottles upside down, dumping the soap along the floor as they ran. The Minotaur slipped on the soap and went sliding forward, crashing through the window at the end of the hall and landing out in the quad with a loud thump. Stella poked her head out of the hole and observed the Minotaur for a few minutes before turning back to the girls and saying: "I think he's out."

They ran back to the boys, who all sat on the floor in astonishment. Stella made her way over to Sky, while Bloom went to Brandon and Tecna to Timmy, all making sure they were okay. Flora and Musa ran into the lecture hall to check on Riven, who was just coming to. Flora looked him over, assessing for any wounds like she'd been taught to in the first aid class she, Musa and Bloom were taking. Luckily, the class focused on both magical and non-magical healing.

Riven groaned. His whole body felt like it had been destroyed. He pushed himself up to rest on his elbows and opened his eyes. He was shocked to find that they were looking at that all too familiar navy blue eyes. Was he asleep?

"Hi there" the sweet voice that plagued his dreams said.

"Good to see you conscious" an even higher voice said from beside him. He turned his head to find Flora on his right. She reached for his shirt collar, pulling it down to see if there were any marks from the Minotaur's hit. He could feel her hands on him so maybe he was awake? "You took a pretty rough hit, what do you remember?"

"A huge blue fist coming at me - then nothing."

"Yeah, that's about right" Musa laughed. "You went crashing through the window and landed in the lecture hall. I would've tried to catch you, y'know return the favour and all, but he sent you in the wrong direction. And anyways, I think you may have crushed me since I'm, as you pointed out earlier, tiny."

He grunted at her, but laughed inwardly. He could appreciate that she was making a joke at what was a serious moment.

The girls asked him a few questions, checking to see if he had a concussion - luckily it had been one of the subjects they'd covered before the loss of their magic. No dizziness, no blurry vision, no slurred speech, so he seemed fine to them.

Musa stood up and extended her hand, which he ignored. He wasn't holding her damn hand, he thought angrily, remembering how nice it had felt to have her in his arms. He didn't need more reasons to want to be around her. He pushed himself up and walked towards the door.

"Well, he seems to be walking fine" Flora said, shrugging at Musa who stood there confused as to why he'd refused her help.

***

"Where'd this thing come from?" Flora asked once they'd made their way over to the Minotaur who lay near the front of the Alfea campus.

"The Creature Preserve?" Riven suggested.

Bloom nodded in agreement until she realised something: "The Creature Preserve doesn't have any Minotaurs."

They all stood in silence, staring at the creature before them. Stella was the only one to notice a tiny purple duck pushing itself out from under one of the Minotaur's four huge arms. "Look."

"A duck" Musa said.

"We all know who's being stalked by a duck" Bloom stated. "Icy."

"That must mean the senior witches are here" Tecna muttered, to which Musa responded: "Why won't those bitches leave us alone?"

"They must be after the Ring of Solaria again" Bloom guessed, "but I know just how to trap them." She started back towards the main entrance to the school.

"So are we... we're just gonna -" Musa stuttered, pointing back towards the unconscious Minotaur.

"Yes, it appears that we are just going to leave the Minotaur there" Tecna replied.

"Cool... That seems like a great idea" Musa sighed. The only person who'd heard was Tecna and neither of them wanted to stay back with the monster so they just shook their heads and followed.

Bloom led the way back to the main hall and up to Faragonda's office on the third floor. "When they can't find the ring, they're bound to go to Faragonda's office to use the all-seeing crystal ball of Alfea."

"If they haven't already" Flora pointed out.

"Let's not think about that yet" Bloom said, grasping the handle to Faragonda's office and turning it. "It's locked."

"You know, that's not super surprising. Why did we think she would leave her office unlocked?" Stella remarked.

"Well that means they haven't been here right?" Flora reasoned.

"Yeah, but a locked door is not going to stop them" Stella replied, "I mean, look at what they did to the school!"

Sky turned towards Riven, who stood quietly at the back of the group. "Bro, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you have a particular skill set that would be kinda useful right now."

Riven sighed. He really didn't need the girls knowing he could pick a lock and he was about to deny having any useful skills when Timmy sorted of ousted him. "C'mon Riven, you keep a freaking tension wrench and pick on your keychain for a reason." Riven let out another sigh and made his way to the front of the group, pulling out his keys. He kneeled in front of the door and got to work.

Musa eyed him curiously. Why did he know how to pick a lock? Had he learned it just for fun or is this something he'd actually used at some point in his life? Whatever it was, it definitely fit in with the whole 'bad boy' thing, and it was, gods, kind of hot. Her family would not be happy if she started dating someone that had a criminal past, which frankly, would just be a bonus. But he was at Red Fountain and they were pretty strict about their students' ethics, so he couldn't be a criminal, right?

Once Riven had picked the lock, he pushed the door open and moved out of the way.

"Doesn't look like they've been here yet" Sky commented, switching on the light and looking around. The office was still perfectly clean.

"They will" Bloom assured them, "and when they do, we'll ambush them."

"So what's the plan?" Timmy asked.

"We hide and when they come into the office, we switch on the light and surround them."

"So we're going to fight them?" Flora asked.

"If it comes to it, yeah, I guess" Bloom shrugged, "but I'm kind of hoping they'll just leave when they see they're surrounded."

"Not likely" Stella scoffed.

"I think they're coming now" Riven said, turning his head towards the door.

"He's right. I can hear Icy complaining." Musa confirmed.

"Ok. Who's got the lightest tread?" Bloom asked quickly and quietly. Brandon, Timmy and Sky pointed at Riven who simply shrugged. Bloom turned to him and continued: "Great, hide somewhere that you can easily get to the light switch."

"Are we not going to acknowledge the lock pick-" Stella started before Bloom cut her off with a sternly whispered 'no'.

"Oh, I don't know about this." Flora said nervously.

"Chill, it'll be fine" Musa replied, pulling Flora into Faragonda's closet.

Riven made his way to the entrance, switching off the light and closing the door. He positioned himself against the wall so that he'd be behind the door when they opened it.

Stella, who hid behind the bookshelf with Sky, looked around nervously. This was a bad idea; without their powers, those witches could destroy them. On the bright side, at least she'd have been close to Sky when she died.

The doors swung open and the three witches floated in. "Interesting" Icy remarked, "The Whispherian Crystals are responding wildly. That means the Dragon Fire is in this room. But I don't see a thing, guess we'll just have to trash the place and do a thorough search cause I'm not-"

Riven had crept out from his spot behind the door and over to the light switch, his hand hovered above it, waiting for Bloom's cue. He may not like working in groups, but that didn't mean he was completely awful at it... sometimes.

"You're not trashing anything" Bloom said, jumping out from behind Faragonda's desk. "Hit the lights Riven."

Riven flicked the switch, giving out a triumphant laugh when he saw the panicked looks on the witches faces.

"You are so surrounded" Stella shouted, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Icy shouted.

"No, what are you doing here?" Bloom retorted.

"What are all of you doing here?" a distinguished voice said from the doorway. The students turned to see Ms. Faragonda standing in the doorway, a vexed expression on her face. Flora sighed; she knew tonight would be trouble.

"Don't bother hiding, Bloom, I see everything."

Bloom got up from the spot she'd retreated to behind the desk. "I wasn't hiding, I was looking for something."

"Now will someone please explain what is going on?" Faragonda asked sternly.

Stella looked around at her friends panicked faces. They were so screwed. Unless... "Well, it's like this, see... we were up in our dorm after having finally finished cleaning when the ground started shaking so we went outside to see what was happening, but there was nothing. Until we heard a loud crash and saw a desk fly through a window..."

"Yeah, so we got scared and called the guys to come help us" Musa added, catching exactly where Stella was going. "We don't have our powers, right, so we didn't exactly like the idea of being defenseless..."

"And the boys came right over - you should really be thanking them for being so, well, heroic -" Stella continued.

"Anyways" Musa interrupted, "turns out the witches had brought a Minotaur into the school and it was wreaking havoc -"

"Destroying all of our hard work. I mean, like, really, Miss F, when we finished this place was spotless."

"So we took it down and then figured out it was the witches thanks to Stella spotting the duck we'd stuck on Icy" Musa continued, noticing Faragonda's confusion at the mention of the duck she said: "that's a whole other story."

"So we figured they must be after Stella's ring to get the power of the dragon flame and that anyone who needed to find something in Alfea would likely come to your office to use your crystal ball..." Bloom finished.

"I see" Faragonda said once she was sure the girls were done. "And how did you get in my office?"

"Huh?" Bloom said, realising that they'd not thought of an excuse for that.

"I keep my door locked" Faragonda explained.

Musa looked over to Riven, who wore a blank expression. He would get in trouble if they found out he'd broken into Faragonda's office, she realised. "Actually, the door wasn't locked..." she said calmly, hoping to the gods that Faragonda bought it.

"Oh?" the old woman said in astonishment. How could she have forgotten to lock her door? She looked over to Musa, who maintained a calm yet confused expression. Then she noticed the short skirt and barely existent top that the usually dressed down fairy wore. "And the party clothes?"

"Stella likes to torture us with makeovers" Tecna explained, shooting a glare towards the blond, who shrugged innocently.

Thankfully, Faragonda believed them - or at least seemed to - since she didn't ask any more questions. She lifted her hands; a sparkling green light appeared before her and encircled the witches. The boys looked on in confusion, but the girls knew what was happening: Faragonda was taking the witches powers'.

"We should, uh, go..." Brandon said, not wanting to waste any time leaving. The longer they stayed, the more risk of getting in trouble they were in.

"Yes, that's probably wise" Faragonda agreed.

***

"So, uh, thanks for everything Brandon" Bloom said shyly, standing beside the squire as he mounted his bike. "Sorry you had to fight a Minotaur."

Brandon laughed. "Never a dull moment with you." And it wasn't: first the troll and ogre, now the Minotaur, soon she'd have him battling all sorts of witches and monsters. That was okay, though, she was more than worth it.

"I try?"

Stella walked Sky over to his bike. She had wanted to spend more time dancing and talking to him, not hunting down some stupid Minotaur. Did those damn witches really had to go around ruining everything all the time? At least they hadn't gotten her ring again...

Sky sat on his bike and looked over at the princess beside him. She seemed upset; maybe because the party was crashed? He hated seeing her like that so, choosing to throw caution to the wind, he did something he knew would make her happy. "Bye" he said, pulling her in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He could swear he'd felt her physically melt and, sure, he'd always had an effect on women - he was a good looking guy, after all - but feeling her melt to him made his heart go mushy.

"So uh, give me a ring if you, if you wanna talk more about binary transmitter couplings or video games" Timmy said quickly, hoping to get it all out before he lost his nerve. He'd like to continue the conversation they'd been having when Bloom had interrupted by starting a group discussion.

Tecna tried not to let her annoyance show. She liked being around Timmy, but all he seemed to talk to her about was computers and video games. Maybe he saw her more as a friend? That was probably wise; relationships were stress inducing, painful, complicated and required constant maintenance. Better to just have a good friend, right?

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Flora asked, walking alongside Musa and behind Riven.

"He's fine Flo. He wouldn't be stupid enough to drive if he was feeling dizzy or seeing blurry. At least, I assume he wouldn't..."

Riven ignored them. Instead, he kept replaying the conversation he'd had with Musa up on the balcony. He couldn't believe he'd told her she was cute; what kind of a fucking moron was he? But she was cute, in general, but also when she'd gotten annoyed; the way her brow furrowed and her eyes burned, it was cute. He put on his helmet and, not bothering to turn back to look at them, said: "Hey, next time you have a party, try and make sure there's actually some fun involved." He looked at the girls in his mirror and smiled to himself when he saw that same burn in Musa's eyes. Maybe getting her to hate him could have more than one upside.

"Griselda, we must remember to send Saladin a glowing letter of gratitude for the help his student heroes gave. It was so good of them to come when the girls told them there was a beast loose on campus" Faragonda said before turning her attention to the witches as the boys drove off. "As for you three witches to be, you took things too far this evening. I don't know what's going on between you and my girls but it ends tonight, do you hear me? I'm transporting you straight to Miss Griffin's office with an official letter of complaint. I trust she will discipline you accordingly. When she has, I'll be sure to send your powers back. Have a nice trip."

The fairies looked at each other as Faragonda walked away. Had they gotten off scot free? It sure seemed so. They let out a collective sigh before starting to make their way back inside, only to be stopped by Griselda. "You girls are to report to Miss Faragonda's office first thing in the morning."

***

"What do you thinks gonna happen?" Stella asked as they walked up to Faragonda's office.

"Hopefully she won't punish us more for breaking the rules and inviting the boys over" Flora replied. She loved her friends but she also loved not getting into trouble.

None of the girls spoke after that; how much more could they be punished? They'd already had their powers taken away which was the equivalent of being suspended. The only next punishment was to be expelled and surely Faragonda wouldn't expel them after having saved the school from a Minotaur? Taking a deep breath, Bloom knocked on the door to the headmistress's office.

Faragonda watched them line up before her expressionlessly, which only served to make them even more nervous. "I've watched what happened on crystal ball replay and I must say I was most impressed. Your actions were brave and resourceful..."

The girls all smiled; this was a good start!

"...But in the future, you might want to party first and then do the cleaning. At least that's how we did it in my day and I don't think times have changed all that much" Faragonda laughed, partially at good memories, partially at the guilty expression on the girls

"Well, I believe you have made amends" she continued, snapping her fingers. A familiar green glow flew towards the five girls before splitting off. "I'm returning your powers to you. Your punishment is over."

A wave of energy crashed over each of the girls. Having their powers removed had felt like nothing, but having them returned felt like taking a breath after being underwater for too long; like they were returning to life.

"Finally, we will be able to catch up on homework" Tecna said with a smile, causing the other girls to burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I'm describing it as if you're looking at the building, so when I say right wing, I mean the one on your right. The lecture halls in my version are under the student dorms and the classrooms are under the teachers' dorms/library. I'm also assuming that the main hall faces north, so the east is the right wing and the west is the left wing.
> 
> (2) I read somewhere that Tecna was half android. I thought that was an interesting possibility. Not too sure if I'll go anywhere with that, though.
> 
> (3) I changed these outfits to make them more something Stella would pick out.
> 
> (4) I used a video game name generator.
> 
> (5) Side note: The animation to that sequence is my favourite bad winx animation ever because they just look so half-assed when they jump on the bikes.


	8. The Day of the Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter yet - a whole 53 pages XD. Honestly, when I started writing this chapter, I was not expecting to write this much but then somehow I did.
> 
> So I know I said last chapter was the last MxR interaction before Darcy, but I decided to throw in another one for the sake of it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those "Musa and Riven meet in the woods and have a nice interaction" scenarios.
> 
> Side note: I have a tumblr under the same name where I sometimes post things! Come talk to me - I like internet friends (in a non-creepy/pervy way please).
> 
> Enjoy :)

Musa sat with her back against a tree. This had quickly become her favourite place in the forest; a small cliff overlooking Lake Roccaluce. She liked to come here when she needed to be alone or when she couldn't sleep - like tonight.

A few weeks ago, she'd not been able to sleep so she'd wandered around the dorm, eventually heading onto the balcony. The sounds of the night before her called out to her; she wanted to go exploring. Her first night, she'd just flown aimlessly, enjoying the darkness and sound of the night around her. The second night, she'd been drawn to the moon's reflection in the lake and wanted to find a spot to stop and look at it, so she'd flown around the lake, eventually noticing this spot. Since then, she'd come directly here - it was peaceful.

Tonight she'd ventured here because she couldn't sleep; tomorrow was the Day of the Rose. She always got a bit more emotional around this time of year. Her mother was gone and her relationship - if you could even call it that - with her father was strained at best. Usually, she and Cecilia would spend this week out getting as drunk as they could and not focusing on the 'celebration'. Cecilia and her parents had even opted not to celebrate so Musa wouldn't have to be alone, instead opting to have a 'day of the rose celebration Miranda style' in June.

She let out a sigh and conjured up a guitar - a bit of music would make her feel better.

_Some bright morning when this life is over  
I'll fly away  
To that home on God's celestial shore  
I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away, oh glory  
I'll fly away in the morning  
When I die hallelujah by and by  
I'll fly away _

***

Riven drove through Gloomy Wood Forest towards his favourite spot. He'd found it when he was much younger - about 9 - and had needed to get away from the city after the people had started protesting the new president. They had marched through the streets for weeks and it had become unsafe. Even the promise of many pockets to pick wasn't enough to make him want to stay in the city and risk getting injured or arrested, so he ventured into the woods with what few belongings he'd had. After a few hours of walking, he'd found a cliff overlooking Lake Roccaluce and, it being almost sunset, that became his spot for the night. It was the first night he'd slept soundly in a long time.

Now, anytime he needed to get away, clear his head or just do something other than be at Red Fountain, he went there. Tonight, he couldn't sleep. The next day was the Day of the Rose and it always made him angry, and sad if he was being honest. Seeing everyone celebrating their parents, their families, and their homes made him angry. Knowing that he hadn't had those in a long time made him angry; again, if he was being honest, even when he'd had a mother and a home it wasn't really a home - she hadn't wanted him around.

He rounded the last turn through the woods before the cliff opened up before him when he heard it:

_When the shadows of this life have gone  
I'll fly away  
Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly  
I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away, oh glory  
I'll fly away in the morning  
When I die hallelujah by and by  
I'll fly away _

He would recognise that voice anywhere. Why was she here? How did she find this spot? It was pretty hard to get to unless you knew where to find it.

He'd wanted to turn his bike around and drive away but something compelled him to stop and get off. He walked to the edge of the wood and spotted her immediately. Again, he'd wanted to just leave but her voice transfixed him, so he watched her from his spot at the edge of the wood.

_Oh how glad and happy when we meet  
I'll fly away  
No more cold iron shackles on my feet  
I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away oh glory  
I'll fly away in the morning  
When I die hallelujah by and by  
I'll fly away _

Her hair, which she wore loose, fell over her face as she looked down at the guitar on her lap. Riven marveled at her, wondering how it was possible for her to look so beautiful even in a baggy t-shirt and torn jeans. She must cast an illusion spell, he thought. But she didn't strike him as the type to do so... and even then, when they'd been at Alfea last month none of the girls had had powers so her spell, if she'd used one, wouldn't have worked.

_I'll fly away oh glory  
I'll fly away in the morning  
When I die hallelujah by and by  
I'll fly away_

_Just a few more weary days and then  
I'll fly away  
To a land where joys will never end  
I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away oh glory  
I'll fly away in the morning  
When I die hallelujah by and by  
I'll fly away  
I'll fly away (1) _

She'd stopped singing and was now softly strumming a wordless tune. Free of the spell her voice had cast on him, he forced his body around and started to quietly walk back to his bike when he heard: "You can stay."

Fuck.

He turned back to face her. She was still strumming, but her eyes had opened and were now looking right at him. "You're in your bubble. I don't want to impede." It was partially true - she did look like she was completely in her element and he didn't want to distract her, but he also didn't want to have to be near her.

"It's okay - stay" she replied, nodding her heads towards the tree next to hers.

He was going to refuse again, but she continued to insist, motioning for him to sit with her. He let out a sigh and took a seat near a tree a bit farther than the one she'd pointed to. If he was going to be stupid enough to stay, he wasn't going to be stupid enough to put himself right beside her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Why do you care?"

"Well - it's almost 1 am for starters and, of all the times I've been here, I've never encountered anyone else." He grunted at her in response. Gods, he's kind of aggravating, she thought. "Seriously? You're not going to give me anything? It's hard to have a conversation when someone doesn't answer you, you know."

"I don't know what to tell you, Musa" he said, realising he'd never actually said her name before and liking the way it felt on his tongue. "You asked me to stay - I never said I wanted to."

Her brow furrowed and her eyes burned in that way he loved - a look that had been added into his dreams and fantasies of her. "Well fuck man; I wasn't exactly holding a knife to your throat. You didn't have to sit, but I figured since you found this place, you probably wanted to be here."

He didn't answer.

"Whatever. I'm just going to keep playing, hope that doesn't bother you too much."

She started playing a melody that he instantly recognised - Moonshadow. His grandmother used to sing this to him all the time - she was probably the only person who'd ever loved him but she'd passed when he was five. She was only playing it though, not singing, probably so as not to 'disturb him too much'. Before he could process what he was doing, he blurted out: "can you sing it?"

"Hm?" she asked, stopping the song.

"Moonshadow, right?"

"Um, yeah" she said, surprised that he'd recognised the song off of a few chords.

He repeated himself softly, never meeting her gaze: "can you sing it?"

She had never heard his voice so gentle. She liked the rough bad boy thing, sure, but knowing there was some softness under there - even if she'd only seen a small gleam of it - was nice. "Sure" she said with a gentle smile.

_Oh, I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow  
Leapin and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow_

_And if I ever lose my hands, lose my plough, lose my land,  
Oh if I ever lose my hands, Oh if... I won't have to work no more.  
And if I ever lose my eyes, if my colours all run dry,  
Yes if I ever lose my eyes, Oh if... I won't have to cry no more. _

She looked over to him; he had closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree, a smile forming on his lips. Something about this song made him happy.

_Yes I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow  
Leapin' and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow_

Memories played through his mind as she sang: his grandmother cradling him as a baby; her singing to him whenever he'd stay with her and have a nightmare; the two of them out for ice cream on his fourth birthday; visiting her in the hospital when she'd gotten sick; holding her hand as she'd lay in the hospital dying; and finally, her funeral. All memories he'd clung to after his mother had abandoned him - memories he kept locked away and only brought out when he needed to remember that someone had loved him once.

_And if I ever lose my legs, I won't moan, and I won't beg,  
Yes if I ever lose my legs, Oh if... I won't have to walk no more.  
And if I ever lose my mouth, all my teeth, north and south,  
Yes if I ever lose my mouth, Oh if... I won't have to talk..._

She studied him throughout the entire song; at some point she was certain she'd seen his lip tremble, but it was hard to be sure if she had or it was just a trick of the light. Moonlight wasn't exactly the best for seeing things clearly.

_Did it take long to find me? I asked the faithful light.  
Did it take long to find me? And are you gonna stay the night?_

_I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow_  
Leapin' and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow  
Moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow (2) 

"That was the first song I ever learned on guitar" Musa said when she'd finished singing. Riven opened his eyes and looked at her. She sat with her legs crossed, arm slung over the front of her guitar. She looked down at it, continuing to softly strum - as if the sound of it calmed her. Her body moved in a gentle sway to the sound of the guitar and Riven was taken aback by how completely at peace she seemed to be. "My dad taught me to play and my mom taught me the words. I was... four, I think" she explained, feeling her heart constrict at the word 'mom'. "What's your story with it?"

"What?"

"You have some memory tied to this song, right? It was all over your face while I was singing."

"Maybe I was just enjoying the music?" He retorted, hoping it would shut her up.

"Don't want to talk about it?" she asked, receiving no response. "That's okay, I guess; everyone's allowed their secrets." Normally, she would've been annoyed at his coldness, but around these times, she tended to be more understanding to people not wanting to open up - she didn't particularly want to either. She looked back up at him and noticed that small smile of his - the same one she'd seen on the balcony last month - and her heart melted. "So are you going to tell me why you're at my spot?"

"Your spot?"

"Yeah, I come here pretty often and, like I said, I've never seen anyone else around."

"Pretty sure this was my spot long before it was yours."

"This spot is much closer to Alfea than Red Fountain."

"That's true, but may I remind you that Red Fountain has an extra year of studying that I've already done."

"Okay, fine. This has been your spot for a year longer" she conceded.

"Way more than a year" he whispered. He'd said it so low that there was no way she'd hear him, but Riven, of course, had no idea that Musa - much like everyone native to the realm of Melody - had sonar hearing.

"What? How is that possible? You've only been at Red Fountain for a year! Unless..." She gasped, "Did you fail your first year? Do I have a reason to compare you to Stella?"

"No" he replied angrily. How dare she think he was anything like that spoiled brat?

"Then..? Oh, you're from Magix." Duh Musa, why would her first thought have been the failing one when his being from Magix was pretty obvious? "I wonder why no one mentioned that when I was asking Timmy where he was from."

Again, he said nothing. She couldn't figure out if the silence thing was mysterious and sexy or just flat out annoying. Was it possible that it was both? Then she realised why none of the guys had told her that Riven was also from Magix. "Am I the only one that knows that?" she laughed.

He sighed. This was awful - not only was she figuring things out about him but he was actually enjoying her company - she was bubbly without being overbearing like that damned pixie Sky was so obsessed with. He'd come here to wallow in his anger and instead he'd found her. He wanted to shut her up, to let him wallow. But at the same time, he didn't. He wanted to enjoy her - he liked being around her.

Fuck it, he thought. Might as well enjoy her company once - maybe it'll make being around her easier since he's obviously going to have to be, what with Sky and Brandon being obsessed with Stella and Bloom. Or maybe it'll make him not like her - maybe she'll reveal some really annoying habit that'll completely turn him off from her. "Yeah."

"Hm" she smiled "I feel kind of special."

You are special, he thought. She was the only girl that had ever caught his attention - she had to be special to have succeeded in that.

"Your turn."

"What?"

"Tell me something about you that no one knows."

She paused in thought, biting her lip as she did. Gods that made her look sexy. Fuck. Now all he could think about was her lips; kissing them, maybe biting them. He wondered what they would taste like; were they as soft as they looked?

"Will you settle for something no one here knows? I think my best friend knows everything about me so it might take a while for me to think of something otherwise" she said, scratching at her head. "Besides, I'm assuming there's at least one person in the universe that knows you're from Magix."

"Yeah, that'll do."

She paused again, deciding what to tell him. "Okay" she finally said, "I have one."

"Let's hear it."

"I have a tattoo."

Are you fucking kidding me, he thought. Princess Musa has a tattoo and her family hasn't blacklisted her yet? "Bullshit. No you don't."

She looked at him in shocked amusement. "What do you mean 'no I don't'?"

"You're royalty, right?" he asked, refusing to focus on the sting in his heart when she answered.

"Yeah..." Did he really think she was some boring uptight princess?

"Then there's no way you have a tattoo. That's not 'ladylike' behaviour."

"First of all, what the hell do you know about 'ladylike behavior'?" she laughed, "second, I do have one."

"Okay. Prove it." he challenged.

Musa inhaled. Fuck, she really should've picked something else. "I was kind of hoping you'd take me at my word..."

"Because you're lying" he accused.

"No..."

"Then prove it."

She took another deep breath; he was really pissing her off. "Fine" she said, never one to back away from a challenge. She put her guitar down and stood up, back to him, unbuttoning her jeans.

Riven looked at her in confusion. Was she trying to give him a heart attack? He watched her undo her pants, feeling himself straining against his own. He knew he was blushing too and hoped that it wasn't visible in the moonlight. Why did she do these things to him? "What are you doing?"

"Proving to you I have a tattoo."

She stuck her thumbs in the waistband of her jeans and started to shimmy them off, pulling her underwear with them. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She pulled her pants until they were about halfway down her butt and she could see the small treble clef near her hip - placed strategically so that the waistband of her underwear would cover it. Making sure that her front was still covered, she turned so that he could see the small tattoo. "There."

He looked at the small symbol - it seemed familiar (3). "Huh" he said after a few seconds of silence.

"What?"

"I can barely see it" he explained, refusing to admit that he was shocked that she wasn't lying, then adding on "it's tiny - like you" just to annoy her.

She groaned at his joke. "You can get closer if your eyesight isn't good."

"You're the one that's supposed to be proving you have a tattoo, you get closer."

No, no, no, no. Why was he inviting her to approach him? Especially right now.

"Excuse me?" she laughed, deciding that she was enjoying this banter and that she would push a bit; see how far he was willing to go. "I'm the one with my pants down, you could make a bit of effort."

Riven exhaled, relieved that she hadn't moved. "Fine, I believe you."

"You kind of have no choice" she laughed, pushing past her disappointment that he hadn't moved closer to her. "I just showed it to you - you can't deny what's right in front of you."

Once her pants were back on properly, she sat down - closer than she was before, Riven noticed. He thought she would've gotten the message that he didn't want to be close to her when he'd rejected her invitation to move closer. She sat quietly, waiting for him to say something, when her stomach growled.

"Sorry" she said, putting her hand to her stomach, "I didn't eat much at supper." She hadn't been hungry - another thing that happened around the Day of the Rose.

Riven got up without saying anything and walked over to his bike, not really believing what he was doing.

"Seriously? You're walking away because I'm... hungry?"

"No you stupid pixie, I'm -"

"Did you just call me a pixie?"

"Yes" he said, returning with a small container. Against his better judgment, he went and sat in front of her, no more than a foot away, placing the container between them.

"I am not a pixie. I'm a fairy."

"Same thing" he shrugged. He found it funny - and cute - that she was more annoyed by him calling her a pixie than by him calling her stupid.

Musa groaned. Why was someone so hot so damn aggravating? "They are not the same thing" she replied angrily. "Saying pixies and fairies are the same is like saying that, I don't know, dragons and birds are the same."

Riven chuckled. She didn't just get annoyed easily - she got angry easily too. Oh, and she was so damn sexy when she got angry. Was it possible for someone to go from cute to sexy in such a short time? "Are you done?" She huffed in response, the anger in her eyes never fading. Riven opened the container before them, revealing the bright red fruit he'd packed in case he got hungry. "Guess that means you don't want these."

"Strawberries?" she asked, reaching her hand towards the container and pulling it back when Riven snapped the lid shut.

"I'd be happy to share, but, since you're so pissed at me, I assume you won't accept my offer."

She rolled her eyes, softening them, before exhaling. "Just don't call me a pixie and we'll be fine."

"We'll see about that" he laughed, opening the lid and putting it between them.

"Why strawberries?" she asked, picking one up and turning it in her hand. Why couldn't he have brought something a bit more substantial - like a sandwich?

"I like strawberries?" Why else would he have them with him?

"Are you not sure about that?" she jested at his questioning tone.

"I thought I might get hungry while I was out so I grabbed some before I left."

"So you stole them from the Red Fountain kitchen?" After he'd picked the lock to Faragonda's office, she hadn't been sure, but when the three other guys agreed that Riven had the lightest tread, it had made her certain that he hadn't learned how to pick locks for fun, but rather that he'd been a thief at some point. He must have been a good one - Red Fountain wouldn't have accepted him if he'd had a criminal record.

He didn't answer her and she didn't press him. Instead, they sat in silence for twenty minutes, enjoying the strawberries, both off in their own worlds, both occasionally sneaking a peak at the other when they thought they could get away with it.

"So why that?" Riven asked, eventually breaking the silence.

"Why what?"

"The tattoo" he explained, gesturing towards her hip, "the symbol, the placement - why?"

Musa let out a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting him to ask her about it, instead hoping that his stony personality would mean that he didn't ask too many personal questions. She'd only chosen the tattoo to impress him.

"Don't want to talk about it?" He asked.

"No it's fine - I chose the tattoo, it's only normal for you to ask about it" she replied, taking another deep breath. She couldn't explain it, but, despite his rough nature, she felt comfortable talking to him. "Its placement is pretty obvious. Like you pointed out, I am royalty and the tattoo is not proper. I got it near my hip because the only people that will see it are people that I choose."

She took another deep, shuddering breath and Riven realised he'd just gotten himself into an emotional conversation. How the fuck had he managed that? "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No... No, it's - it's okay. Everyone says I should talk about it. Um... yeah, the tattoo is a treble clef; by the way, it's a music symbol. I got it because it matches my mother's favourite necklace and it would remind me of her." Her hand went up to where the necklace used to rest. "I, uh... I lost that necklace in Black Mud Swamp..."

"It's just a necklace; she probably won't be too pissed if you explain that it was an accident." He didn't know anything about her home life, but he assumed that she had a family that loved her.

"Funny - Tecna said something similar," she chuckled sadly, fighting to keep her tears at bay - she was comfortable talking to him, but she would not cry in front of him. "I, um, I lost my mom when I was 6. That necklace was all I had of hers and it's... gone."

I guess six years old was a shitty year for both of them, he thought. He watched her breathe deeply, eyes closed, clearly trying not to cry, and wondered if he should say anything. She didn't seem like the type of person that would appreciate any of the usual things that people say; your 'I'm sorry' or 'she's in a better place'. So he said nothing. It was only when he saw a tear roll free in the moonlight that he reacted. Not consciously, of course - he would never actively do what he was about to. He leaned forward and wiped the tear off of her face, palm settling on her cheek.

Musa opened her eyes and looked at him. His face was only a few inches from hers now and his violet eyes rested squarely on hers. Musa could make out the emotions that rested at the front of them: discomfort and concern; a strange mix, but there was something else behind that. It was soft and affectionate. His thumb wiped at her face again, removing any residual wetness, though his eyes never left hers. She could feel her heart beat wildly, the temptation to kiss him rising with every beat.

Riven watched her eyes, thankful that the tears had stopped. Not so thankful that he'd put himself in this situation. Those deep blue eyes watched him intensely, willing their way through all the shields and walls that he'd built up around him. Despite knowing that she was royalty and he was, well, garbage, and that he had no experience with relationships and she deserved the very best, he found himself thinking that it would be so easy to kiss her; to love her. He had started to inch forward - his lips almost brushing hers - when the downpour hit them, breaking the would-be lovers out of their trance.

"Guess it's time to go" Musa said so softly that Riven barely heard her.

"Come on" he replied, nodding to her to follow him. He was torn; part of him thankful that the rain had stopped him from doing something so stupid and reckless, the other part was upset that he hadn't gotten to kiss her. "I'll drive you back to Alfea."

Her usual stubborn self would argue that she didn't need him to escort her back to school and she could fly there just fine on her own, but he was offering her a reason to be close to him and that was good enough.

***

Riven drove faster than Sky had, but even with the rain and the speed, she never felt unsafe with him. She liked that. She had also liked that he hadn't given her any pity or phony 'I'm sorry' when she'd told him about her mom; she loathed when people did that. Instead, he'd just stayed quiet and let her breathe. Whether it was because he didn't know how to respond or because he knew exactly how to respond, she didn't care.

They said nothing on the drive - he probably wouldn't have heard her over the engine anyways. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, trying to resist the temptation to run her hands up and down his torso, feeling the definition of his abs under the now-drenched t-shirt. Instead, she just enjoyed the heat she could feel radiating off of him even in the pouring rain, and - because he'd not expected to run into anyone and hadn't brought a spare helmet - rested her head against his back to shield her face from the rain, getting lost in the beat of his heart.

Riven focused on the path before him. If he'd allowed himself to focus on anything else - her body pressed against his back, her arms around him, or the smell of vanilla and cinnamon that only seemed to be accentuated by the rain - he'd lose control and they'd crash.

She rested her head against his back, effectively breaking his concentration. The bike started to shift off the road before he managed to shake his thoughts away from the feel of her and back to the road before him. He waited for her to say something snarky or sarcastic, but she didn't. Or, at least, he didn't hear her.

Once he'd pulled up to Alfea, she got off the bike and turned to him. Before she could say thanks, he spoke. "What does it look like?"

"What?" Why were his questions so not specific?

"The necklace" he explained. "What does it look like?"

She looked at him in confusion, pushing back the hair that was sticking to her face. "Like the tattoo."

"Just describe it" he groaned.

"Um... okay? It's silver with a small emerald in the center and my parents' anniversary - 15/08/98 (4) - engraved on the back. Why?"

"Not important" he replied curtly. He'd finally figured out why her tattoo had looked familiar - he had its matching necklace in his bedside table. He decided not to tell her about it right away since he wasn't one hundred percent certain; he would first have to check if there was an engraving on the back and if it matched the date. If it turned out to be hers, He would return it to her next time he saw her.

"Um, okay? Well, thanks" she said softly, "for the strawberries and the ride." He nodded at her and as she turned and started to walk towards the main entrance, he heard himself say "You're welcome to use my spot anytime you'd like."

She turned back to him and, with a dry laugh, replied "how generous." They stayed in the rain, looking at one another, both wanting to kiss the other, neither willing to make the first move. Eventually the cold became too much for Musa and she reluctantly admitted to herself that she'd have to leave him. "Goodnight Riven."

"Goodnight Musa."

As she walked back into the school, she was so absorbed in her thoughts of the almost kiss that she was completely unaware that Riven had waited until she entered the building before starting his bike and riding off - not wanting to leave without knowing that she was safe.

***

Musa had gotten back to Alfea around 3:30; those two hours with Riven had seemed to fly by so fast. She had made her way up to her dorm, careful to not set off any of the alarms that Alfea had in place, and then to not wake any of the girls. At this point in the year, she'd done this about six or seven times so avoiding alarm triggers and sneaking through the dorm was becoming pretty habitual.

She'd not managed to get much sleep, too worked up by the memory of what had just happened. She would tell herself to get some sleep, but then she'd remember the faint blush she'd been able to make out in the moonlight when she'd shown him her tattoo, or the way he'd looked at her when they'd almost kissed. It comforted her to know this crush of hers wasn't completely hopeless.

***

Tecna's alarm went off at 6:30, just like she'd set it to so she had enough time to pack before catching her 8:30 flight to Zenith. She'd fashioned a special alarm clock that would buzz directly into the ear buds she now slept with because she'd learned early into the school year that Musa was a late sleeper whereas Tecna liked being up at 7 every day - including weekends. Their first weekend Musa had tolerated it, telling herself that Tecna had surely just forgotten to turn off her alarm. The second weekend, however, Musa had flipped when Tecna's alarm went off, so she'd built this to satisfy both of them.

She got up and did her usual morning routine: bathroom, shower, brush teeth and hair, clean skin (she may not be as shallow as Stella, but a good skincare routine was still important), make her bed, get dressed. It was only when she came out to make her bed that she noticed the soaking wet clothes that lay on the floor by Musa's bed.

The girl must've gone out again last night. Tecna had known she'd sneak out at night since early November when she'd gotten up to go to the bathroom through the night and Musa hadn't been in her bed. Originally she'd assumed that Musa was in the bathroom, but there was no one there. It was just after she'd lain back in bed that Musa had snuck into their room fully dressed. She'd chosen not to scold her or rat her out to Griselda; as long as she was safe, it was really none of Tecna's business.

She was in the middle of packing when she heard Musa stir behind her. "Good morning."

"Hi Tec" Musa said before yawning. She was completely exhausted, and Tecna was still here so she figured it was still pretty early. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and hung her head so she was looking down at where her wet clothes should've been.

"I hung your clothes in the bathroom" Tecna informed her, noticing that Musa looked confused.

"Oh... thanks" Musa replied dumbly.

"Did you go out again last night?"

What? "How did you...?"

"I was awake when you snuck back in earlier this month."

Musa nodded silently, thankful that Tecna wasn't the type to tattle. She got up and got dressed; tossing her still-wet hair into her usual pigtails before following Tecna into the common area.

"I can't believe I'm going to have to stay here alone" Stella whined from her spot on the couch. She was going through her usual morning routine of brushing her hair exactly 100 times. Musa and Tecna insisted that it was nonsense, but Stella remained adamant that it worked in keeping her hair smooth and tangle-free.

"You're not, actually - I decided yesterday that I would stay." Musa informed her. She had planned to head home and party it up with Cecilia, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised she should start honouring her mother, even if it hurt. And what better place to do that than one of her mom's favourite places: Alfea.

"You are?" Stella asked, perking up. At least Musa would be around to cheer her up on this horrid day. Stella had a good relationship with her parents; the problem was that her parents didn't have a good relationship with each other and that made celebrating a bit complicated or, rather, just downright messy. "That's great! We can spend the whole day together; gossiping, facials, nails, heart to hearts. It'll be fabulous!"

***

_Bloom looked around her but she could see nothing but darkness. It was eerily silent too; she could hear nothing but her breathing. That is, until a sweet voice called out her name._

_"Who said that?! Who's there?" Bloom shouted, turning her head in every direction possible, but still not seeing anyone._

_"It's me, Bloom... Don't you remember me? Don't you know my voice?"_

_The memory came barreling at her, leaving her confused - was she losing it? "You're the one who helped me escape from Cloud Tower, aren't you? But... but, who are you?"_

_"Come to me!"_

_Bloom started to walk forward, not really certain she was heading in the right direction. Eventually she realised that she'd never be able to tell even if she paid excruciating attention to her surroundings. The darkness around her all looked the same and, for all she knew, she might not be moving at all._

_"Find me!"_

_What? "Find you how?" she cried._

_"Look around... Look within."_

_"Huh? What does that mean?" Bloom continued to look around, still unable to identify the source of the voice. She felt something touch her hand and recoiled in horror. What was that?_

_"You know the answer, Bloom."_

_Did she? She had no idea what was even happening. Suddenly, Bloom noticed a bright light before her; she could've sworn there'd been nothing there before. Looking up at the source of the light, she saw that it had the silhouette of a woman. Whatever it was, it wasn't a physical being - just light. The figure had a long mermaid style dress and a masquerade mask covering most of her face._

_"You will find me, when you find yourself" the figure said, the light that made her starting to shine brighter. Bloom shielded her eyes. "Your destiny awaits you."_

_"What do you mean my destiny?" Bloom cried from behind shielded eyes._

_The figure eventually stopped glowing and reached out one of her hands to Bloom. "Take my hand, Bloom... and prepare for the journey."_

_"The journey? What are you talking about?" Bloom asked, shouting over the figure's echoes._

_"Prepare."_

***

"What? Ugh... Prepare for what journey?" Bloom shouted, eyes fluttering open.

She breathed deeply; it had just been a dream. A very strange dream... Did it mean anything or had she just had too much sugar before bed?

"For starters: the journey out of bed, sleepy head! You'd sleep through a solar storm wouldn't you?"

"Flora, was I talking in my sleep?" Bloom asked. Flora had told her recently that Bloom talked in her sleep from time to time. Usually it was nonsense or completely unintelligible, but once she'd dreamed about Brandon - something a bit steamier too - and Flora had heard bits of what she'd said. Luckily, Flora was a good friend and didn't go laughing about it to the other girls.

"You have no idea: 'Look within. What's my destiny?'" Flora said with a small laugh. She walked back over to her side of their shared room and continued to fold he clothes that lay on her bed, gently placing them in the small suitcase that sat on her pillow.

"I was having the weirdest dream" Bloom explained, picking up Kiko his spot on her pillow. Her beloved bunny - the one who was responsible for her being at Alfea, if you really thought about it - had come with her to Alfea. Apparently, animals - even ones from Earth - were considered 'magical'.

Flora put the last shirt into the suitcase and snapped it shut. "Well, I'm all packed."

Bloom got out of bed and followed her into the common room, completely confused. "What do you mean? Where are you going?"

"I'm going home; today's the Day of the Rose."

Flora smiled at her as if she'd understood what the hell Flora was talking about, but Bloom hadn't. She had no clue what the 'Day of the Rose' meant. Was it some Linphea tradition? Did Flora get a note excusing her from school? "Well, what about classes? It's Thursday!"

"There are no classes. This is a holiday where everyone celebrates their parents, and it is celebrated on the same day through all the realms." Tecna informed her from her spot by the door.

"Sounds like Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day together..."

"So are you going to go home?" Flora asked her, joining Tecna by the door.

Bloom hesitated. She could surprise her parents, but it was a Thursday and they'd likely both be working. "I didn't make plans..."

"Perfect! You can keep us company!" Stella cried from her spot on the couch, leaning over to give Musa a side hug.

"Well, we should be off" Tecna said to Flora. They had flights at almost the same time; Zenith and Linphea happened to both be a 3 hour flight from Magix, just in opposite directions. Girls who lived in farther realms had left the night before or the morning day before, depending on how far they lived and how much of a time difference there was.

The girls hugged each other goodbye; both Flora and Tecna making sure to give Musa an extra tight squeeze because they knew today must be hard for her. Once the two had left, Stella turned to Musa and Bloom. "What should we do first?"

"How about breakfast?" Bloom suggested, resting her hand on her rumbling stomach.

***

The three girls sat alone in the dining hall; all the others - students and teachers alike - had already left to go see their parents. They'd had to go get food for breakfast themselves since there was no one on kitchen duty. Stella, unsurprisingly, had complained that a princess shouldn't have to cook for herself. Bloom had just rolled her eyes and offered to make them both omelets, claiming that '[she'd] been working on [her] omelet flipping'.

"I hate when the school's empty" Stella sighed, putting down her cup of tea. "I don't know why; I just find it depressing."

Professor Wizgiz came running through; wishing the girls a happy Day of the Rose and muttering something about transforming into a basilisk and giving his mother a scare. Musa had commented that he was a 'funny guy', although Stella thought it wasn't exactly a comment - more of a question. Did she think Wizgiz was funny? No; she'd had to sit through enough of his bad jokes through two years of classes to know he wasn't. And Stella loved making cheesy jokes, so that definitely said something.

"So, why are you sticking around Bloom?" Stella asked cutting a piece off of her veggies and cheese omelet.

"It wasn't a choice, really. I just found out about this holiday; I couldn't read the magi-cal. I guess I'm still a little behind..." Bloom sighed, "Anyway, why didn't you two go home?"

Stella took a deep breath; she hated talking about her parents, but she'd asked Bloom so she supposed it was fair that she get asked in return. "I've never told you guys this but all's not well with the royal family - my mom and dad are getting a divorce, so now there are two palaces and things are getting real complicated..." Stella's parents had been married on December 17th 1994, five years before her birth. They'd started trying for an heir right away, but two miscarriages and one stillbirth had almost broken her mother. When she'd gotten pregnant with Stella, she'd refused to get her hopes up. But then, one particularly sunny August day in 1999, there she was - a beautiful, healthy baby girl. After that, things had been okay but her parents' marriage had never recovered. It was early this year - January 4th specifically - when they'd told her the horrible news when she was home for winter break. "But these things happen, right? What's your story Musa?"

Musa's eyes dropped to the ground. "I haven't celebrated this day in a long time because, well, I haven't got anyone to celebrate." The dark haired fairy took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "I lost my mother when I was just six, and my dad and I have never really had a relationship."

Stella held in her gasp. She'd been so busy focusing on her family drama and how happy she was to not be alone today that she'd never even considered what Musa's reason to stay behind was. She'd especially never thought it would be so heartbreaking. Sure, her parents may not be able to stand being in the same room together, but at least they were alive and she knew they loved her. "Musa, I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have asked."

Musa smiled sadly at the blond. "You don't have to apologize, you couldn't have known. For me, this day is just a little sadder than others..." she could feel the tears starting to pool in her eyes, and just like with Riven earlier, she knew they weren't staying there no matter how hard she tried to force them back. Musa turned her face away; she hated to let people see her cry. "But hey, life goes on." she forced out, "there's not much I can do about it, except to live with my memories." Her hand instinctively went up to her chest where the necklace would've been; that was enough to force the tears over.

Stella wiped away at her own tears; she'd always been an easy crier, even a not-so-sad scene in a movie could get her bawling. She threw her arms around Musa and pulled her into a tight hug. Honestly, she felt so bad for having brought up such a sore subject and making Musa have to talk about it that she would never have let go, but she knew Musa would hate that.

Bloom sniffled, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks. She couldn't imagine her life without her parents; they were the most wonderful, supportive family a girl could ask for. She reached her arm out for Musa's hand and gave it a tight, loving squeeze. She wanted to keep things positive for them so she wiped her tears and smiled. "Well, we've got a little family right here. And I say we have a good time today."

Stella let Musa go and gave her friends a bright smile. She got up rapidly, almost knocking her cup of tea clear off the table when she started twirling and swinging her arms. "Bloom's right! The suns are shining, there's a festival in the city, shopping and concerts - we'll have a blast! We can start wi -"

A beeping sound interrupted Stella mid-sentence. She was receiving a text... How strange. Of the people she texted the most, 2 were in the room with her, 2 were on planes and the last was Prince Sky, who she assumed had gone home to Eraklyon. It definitely wouldn't be her parents; they were far too old school to text. She picked up the cell phone that lay on the table and her eyes lit up when she saw the name on the screen.

"Who is it?" Bloom asked, chuckling at the look of sheer joy on Stella's face.

"It's a text message from Prince Sky! He and some of the other boys will be at the festival in Magix today." she shouted, practically jumping onto the table. "Wait, that's not all... Guess what girls? They're inviting us to the party tonight!" This was exactly what Stella needed to cheer her up today and get her mind off of her parents' broken relationship - a little romance of her own.

Bloom smiled, trying to not let her excitement show too much. Today would be about making sure Stella and Musa had a good day. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a good day too, and if Sky had stayed in Magix, Brandon probably had too. "Shall we?"

Musa wasn't sold. The idea of hanging around Stella and Sky, and Brandon and Bloom, watching them flirt with each other all day, did not appeal to her. If there was any chance Riven had stuck around, she'd go, but the odds of him being there when his parents were so close was very small. "I think I'm just gonna hang back" she said, adding on "but have fun" to let the girls know she still wanted them to go. She didn't want to be the reason that they missed out on spending the day with the guys they liked.

"Are you sure, Musa? It could be a lot of fun" Bloom said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. But, seriously, enjoy yourselves."

"Get over here you two" Stella cried, pulling both girls into a tight group hug.

***

"Oh Gods, what do I wear?" Stella shouted, rifling through her enormous closet. She hadn't seen Sky in a whole month and she needed to look absolutely perfect!

"Stell, it doesn't matter. Sky likes you; he won't care what you're wearing" Musa sighed. And it was true; Sky did like Stella - although Musa couldn't really figure why. Sure, the blond was pretty and upbeat, but she was also shallow and selfish.

Stella scoffed. Of course Musa would think that she could just show up in any outfit and everything would work out.

Bloom walked into Stella's bedroom and made her way up to the mezzanine. She'd picked a pair of skinny jeans to wear and a nice pair of flats, but the shirt she'd wanted was dirty. "Stell, do you think I could borrow that cute top of yours?"

"You're gonna need to be way more specific than that" Musa laughed.

"She's right. Do you know how many tops I own? I mean, really Bloom?"

"That means 'too many'."

Bloom ignored Musa's comment about Stella's ridiculous amount of shirts, even if she did agree that Stella had more clothes than anybody could ever need. "Tank top... um, it's dark blue with, like, a gold swirly design" Bloom made a swirly design on her chest with her finger, trying to describe the shirt she wanted. "Does that describe it enough?"

Stella motioned towards the far end of the closet as she finally settled on an outfit: a light pink maxi skirt with a high slit that was sure to get Sky thinking about her legs with a white t-shirt style crop top. "What do you think of these shoes?" she asked, holding up a pair of white stilettos.

"We're going to a festival; I think we'll be walking for most of the day." Bloom pointed out.

"Right... wedges then."

Once Stella had finally settled on a pair of shoes, she and Bloom were ready to head off. They'd asked Musa multiple times if she was certain she didn't want to come, but she continued to insist that she didn't, so Bloom and Stella headed off.

***

Musa made her way up to the East Tower; her mom's favourite place at Alfea. She remembered when she was four and her powers had just started to develop, her mom would tell her about the time she spent at Alfea. She'd tell her about the adventures, the professors, and the friends she'd made - friends that Musa would eventually meet at her mother's funeral. She had told Musa that one day, when she came to Alfea, she should go up to East Tower and take in the view; Lake Roccaluce off in the distance, the trees for miles and miles around her and the city of Magix just beyond them. The East Tower, she'd said, was a quiet one because the stairs to get up to it were old and rickety and the girls were hesitant to go up them.

Just like her mom had said, the stairs were old and rickety. Musa looked up at them uncertainly. Was she really going to climb them? She took a deep breath before starting up - telling herself that she was a fairy and could easily catch herself if the stairs fell apart under her. They didn't; they were surprisingly sturdy for stairs that looked like they'd been around when the Great War of Magix happened 2000 years earlier.

She stepped up to the thick cement railing of the East Tower and took in the scenery around her. It really was a sight to behold. This was Musa's first time up to the East Tower; she'd avoided it because she worried that she'd break down crying when she got there. She hoisted herself up onto the railing and leaned against the column before pulling out a small memory rose that she'd gotten from her grandparents at the funeral.

She waved her hand over the rose and a hologram of a woman appeared. She wore a red cheongsam and had her blue-black hair half up (5). Her dark gray eyes looked up at Musa and she smiled, almost as if recognising her daughter. Musa felt the tears start to pool at her eyes; at least she'd kept it together this long.

"Hi mom..." she said softly."I can't believe I've never opened this thing... Sorry about that; I just... it hurt too much to."

Musa took another deep breath. This was so much harder than she'd imagined but she knew she needed to do it, so she kept on. "Let's see, what have you missed? Um, dad doesn't like looking at me because I look like you and that makes him sad, or angry? Probably both. Um... Cecilia and I are still best friends, so that's good. I'm finally at Alfea, uh, classes are good and I'm acing potions. I've made a lot of great friends, just like you said I would. And I met this guy... he's a bit rough around the edges but, I don't know, my gut says there's more to him than what he lets people see. "

***

Flora could feel the difference in the air the minute she exited the Linphea Airport. She loved Magix, but it was a city - it smelled like gas and concrete, and it had that hustle and bustle of most big cities. Linphea - even the capital of Marigold - had a much more relaxed vibe and the winds would always blow some flowery or herby scent your way. Even by the airport, the scent of nature was so overpowering that you could barely smell the fuel of the plane.

She waited at the taxi station for one of the giant ladybugs that the people of Linphea used as transport. Much like Flora, the Linpheans believed that you should always be as environmentally friendly as possible. That is why, while the rest of the realms were working on ships and levi-cars and bikes to get around, they had trained the giant lady bugs that were native to their realm to transport people. The lady bugs were well cared for and always respected, of course, because they are part of nature and as such, need to be treated with respect.

Flora gave the ladybug the address that she wanted to go to and relaxed. She could feel the trees and flowers around her rejuvenating her. It felt so good to be home.

***

Tecna's plane landed in Zenith fifteen minutes later than scheduled and the tension on the plane was palpable. Most of the people with her were Zenithites returning home for the Day of the Rose and, like Tecna, they enjoyed efficiency and punctuality; late anything was inexcusable. The poor airport employees were going to have to deal with a lot of angry people today. Tecna, however, would not be one of them. She had limited time to spend with her parents and she didn't plan on losing any of that to get a '$100 off her next flight' voucher.

She pulled the coat she'd brought out of her bag and put it on. Zenith was one of the coldest realms in the Magic Dimension and it got even colder around the end of the year. She stepped out of the airport and got into one of the self-driving carpod taxis. She texted the address she wanted to it and sat back, enjoying the quietness of the carpod - a welcomed change after rooming with Musa for the last two months.

***

Bloom and Stella got off the bus at the only Downtown Magix stop available. The main roads had been closed off for the Day of the Rose festivities so they would have to walk to the meeting spot Sky had indicated.

"Wow, they really go all out for this, huh?" Bloom commented, taking in the festivities around her. There were stands set up in the streets selling a variety of things; from food to flowers to jewelry to tools to books to clothes to potion ingredients. It reminded her of Gardenia's annual grand sidewalk sale downtown where merchants - her mother included - would set up tables filled with products for people wandering by to buy.

A few feet behind them, a band was playing on one of the sound stages that had been set up through the city. It's a shame Musa didn't want to come; she would've really enjoyed this, Bloom thought as she continued to take it all in. They passed street performers of many kinds: dancers, illusionists, sword swallowers, and fire breathers. They passed face painters, petting zoos, carnival games, and amusement park rides. It was almost as if you could wander around all day and still not be able to see and do everything.

"They do! Wait 'til the party tonight. Apparently, they'll be having one of the best DJs in the magical dimension: Nathan XTC. Plus there's supposed to be a fireworks show and those aerial silk dancers. You know the ones with the, like, pieces of fabric that hang from the ceiling and people, like, twirl and dance on them - I love those!"

"I thought the party was supposed to be outside?"

"It is."

"Then what are the silks attached to?"

"Hm. Good question" Stella said, stopping in front of the Whole Latte Love Cafe where they were supposed to meet the boys. "Planes? Magic? I don't know." She looked around for Sky but so far no sight of him.

A jet engine roared above them, forcing the girls to look up. The ship's hatch opened and thousands of roses came pouring out. The girls were so amused by the falling roses that they didn't see the three tall boys walking towards them.

"A rose for you, Princess" a deep, familiar voice said. Stella turned to see Prince Sky holding up one of the fallen roses to her.

"Thanks" she said sweetly, eyes glimmering with adoration.

"Good to see you" he said with a gentle smile. Just like every other time he'd seen her, he was in complete awe of how beautiful she was.

"You too."

Bloom watched Sky and Stella stare into each other's eyes and giggled. This was just like watching Musa and Riven but instead of being sexually charged it was more romantic. She noticed Brandon walked up to her and turned to face him.

"They're cute, aren't they?" he said with a chuckle.

Bloom giggled. "They really are great for each other - both beautiful, both nice, both royal. It's like the princes and princesses in movies I used to watch as a kid."

Brandon's laughter stopped and he cleared his throat nervously. Hoping to change the subject, he smiled at her and said: "It's great to see you Bloom."

"You too Brandon" Bloom smiled back looking into his perfect sky blue eyes.

Watching the two couples irritated Riven, though he wouldn't be able to tell you if it was because of his cynicism about love or because he'd secretly hoped Musa would be around and she wasn't.

The first thing he'd done when he got back to Red Fountain earlier that morning was dig through his bedside drawer for the necklace. Sure enough, it looked just like the tattoo on her hip and was exactly how she'd described it: a small silver necklace with an emerald in the center and, even if it was faded, the date 15/08/98 engraved on the back. Though he was never one to believe in fate or signs, it really felt like the universe kept giving him signs that she was meant to be someone to him: the onion rings and honey, meeting in the woods, and now the necklace.

When Sky had suggested that they invite the girls to hang out with them today, Riven had been a bit overenthusiastic, earning a knowing grin from the prince. He liked being around her; he couldn't help it. Even if girls were trouble, he thought this one might be worth it. Maybe he'd even work up the courage to try to kiss her again.

He'd put the necklace in the storage compartment of his bike, wanting to give it to her today and hopefully give her a reason to be happy on what was clearly a sucky day for her, but she wasn't here. He'd really thought that, since her mother's death seemed to upset her so much, she wouldn't like celebrating and would maybe not have gone home. But then again, being here at the Day of the Rose festival might also upset her. Gods, what an idiot he'd been. Of course she wouldn't be here and now he was stuck watching Brandon and Sky get all gushy over Bloom and Stella. Musa probably hadn't really wanted to kiss him; it was just an emotional moment for her and she wasn't thinking clearly, he realised. That thought was enough to put him in an even sourer mood than the whole Day of the Rose already did. "Hey lover boys (6), look; some racers are already warming up."

The four turned to look in the direction Riven had pointed and, sure enough, there were five levi-bike riders driving down the main street, while others were off to the side working on their bikes.

"Look at them go!" Stella shouted, watching the riders zoom past her.

"It's going to be an intense race this year" Brandon commented.

"Maybe for you guys; for me it's going to be a relaxing walk in the park."

Brandon sighed. He loved Riven; really, he did. Brandon even thought of him as a brother - the same way he thought of Sky and Timmy, but that boy really could be so egotistical sometimes. "Oh boy; here it comes."

"I'm just saying, you jokers don't stand a chance."

"A chance of what?" Bloom asked, genuinely not understanding what Riven was talking about.

"A chance of beating me (7). I'm going to leave these wannabes in the dust. They might as well put my name on the Rose Trophy right now."

Sky let out a long 'uh' while Brandon started laughing. "Riven doesn't think we're gonna be any competition for him."

Riven gave a wry laugh. "Competition? Last time little Sky fell of his bike in the first lap."

Stella, who up 'til now hadn't been participating in the conversation content to let the boys trash talk each other, piped up. She looked over to Sky and pictured him falling from his bike. Her heart felt tight; she really didn't like the thought of him getting hurt. "Really? That sounds dangerous" she said, grabbing onto his arm as if she could hold him in place and keep him safe.

"Nah" Brandon said. "Levi-bikes are safe; we wear state-of-the-art padding. Look!"

He motioned towards the racers, specifically pointing out their suits. The girls turned to watch as one of the racers went flying off a bank, landing in front of one of the other racers. The racer that had just been overtaken raised his arms, trying to get the upturned dust out of his face, causing him to lose control of his bike. The driver was tossed aside as the bike went flying, hitting the magical barrier that had been made to protect the crowds. The driver, trying to assure the crowd that he was okay (and that he was not a loser for having wiped out before the actual race, Riven thought), got up and shouted to the crowd that he was okay and that he'd meant to do that.

"You see what I mean? That guy hopped right back up. No worries" Brandon said calmly.

Bloom and Stella looked at each other uncertainly. The guys seemed calm about the idea of wiping out but that didn't make them feel any better, but they weren't the guys' mothers, so they just shrugged. Stella did, however, point out to Sky that he was supposed to dance with her tonight so he shouldn't be breaking any limbs.

Sky chuckled. It made him happy to hear that the princess was concerned for his safety. "Well I'll try" he assured her. "Thing is if I want to show this bastard what's up, I'm gonna have to go all out."

Riven scoffed. "The only thing that's gonna be up is you losers going down."

Bloom rolled her eyes at Riven's arrogance. "I'll be rooting for you Brandon" she said, partially to be moral support to the guy she liked, partially to annoy Riven.

"So who's gonna be rooting for you, Riven?" Sky laughed. "Bloom's rooting for Brandon, Stella's rooting for me, where's your cheerleader?"

Riven wouldn't be able to explain why but something about that comment set him off. He would have had a girl rooting for him if Musa were here. Maybe... He knew they'd almost kissed, but he still couldn't see a princess being interested in him. "I don't need one, dude. Unlike you."

Brandon sighed. This had gone on long enough; it was time to put a stop to Riven's temper. "Relax, Riven."

But, as everyone knows, the worst way to get someone to relax is to tell them to 'relax'. Especially when that someone is Riven because all Brandon's orders did is fire up the magenta haired specialist even more. "Trust me, if I actually wanted one of these Alfea pixies" - he did - "I could have my pick of the whole litter" - just Musa, but she wouldn't actually want him - "and both of you know it."

Bloom and Stella looked at each other in confusion. This would've been a perfect way to get Musa to see what a jerk he is, Stella thought, wishing she'd forced the musical fairy along.

"This is dumb" Brandon said dismissively.

Brandon really had a way with sending Riven's anger over the edge. He truly hated the blond specialist sometimes; there was something about him that just irked Riven so much. So he decided to piss him off. He knew the best way to do that was to go after what he cared about. And since he never shut up about her, he knew that that was Bloom. "In fact, a certain someone's been giving me the eye. Isn't that right, Bloom?"

Brandon heard Stella gasp beside him, but he was too thrown off to even respond. Riven had really crossed a line this time.

'WHAT?!" Bloom shouted, pushing past the boys to get in Riven's face. "The only 'eye' I'd give you is 'I don't think so'."

"Right" Riven replied sarcastically.

Bloom's fury rose in her and she unleashed what she could only refer to as verbal diarrhea. "What is with you? I think I know who I like and, trust me; I don't go for the whole jerk thing. You're a totally conceited, totally cocky, totally boring waste of good oxygen. I'm sorry but guys like you give guys a bad name. I still can't figure out why Musa's got a crush on a jackass like you."

Bloom stood, arms crossed, ready to unleash on him again if he said something snarky. It was only after standing silently for a few seconds that she realised she should not have said that last part.

Brandon was shocked at Bloom's outburst. Every time he'd seen her she'd been a nice, pleasant girl. He had to admit that knowing she had a fiery side made her all the more attractive. She was a perfect balance in his opinion - kind and sweet, but could stand up for herself when she needed to. Besides, Riven deserved it. Though he was concerned about how Riven would take this outburst.

Stella's shock resembled more of a huge grin. She loved watching Bloom lay into the miserable specialist; he really needed someone to give him a reality check and knock his ego down a few pegs and the redhead had handled the task well in her opinion. Bloom might not have wanted to out Musa's crush though. Sure, she herself had mentioned Musa's crush in front of the other girls, but there was a huge difference between saying it to friends and saying it to the guy she liked - especially when you called him a conceited, cocky, boring jackass in the same breath.

Sky's mind was a strange combination of panicky and curious. Panicky because, not only had Bloom verbally assaulted Riven, she'd outed Musa's crush on him. If this got back to the dark haired fairy, she would be furious with Bloom. Curious because he wondered how Riven would react to what she'd just said - particularly the Musa comment.

Riven's mind reeled. Had Bloom just said that Musa liked him? That couldn't be true, could it? No. Sky had obviously gossiped with Stella about his feelings for Musa and then the blonde had told Bloom, who was now using it against him. Or maybe she wasn't and he was just being paranoid? Maybe Musa really did like him. Not that it mattered now; the girl had gotten angry when he'd called her a pixie, she would be furious when she found out how Riven had treated her friend. Not that it mattered, right? He'd wanted Musa to hate him; that had been the original goal. Somehow, though, he'd been diverted and suckered into thinking that being with her was possible. No, he would ride this out. Piss off Bloom enough that she'd go back to Musa with nothing but negative things to say about him and then Musa would never want to be near him and he wouldn't have to deal with it. Eventually these unwanted feelings would go away on their own.

"You're really cute when you're angry, you know that?" he said, pulling her chin up to face him and leaning closer to her. In his peripheral vision, he could see Brandon's eyes narrow and his fists ball up - a happy bonus. "I dig girls who play hard to get."

"Don't you fucking touch me!" Bloom pushed him away. She glared angrily in his direction, noticing the beautiful pink flowers in the back. Before she could fully think through what she was about to do, she drew her magic and levitated the pot just above Riven's head. "You know what? I think you need to just cool down, Riven" she said before tilting the pot onto his head, drenching him. His magenta hair, which he had worn slicked back like usual, now clung to the sides of his face and his entire shirt was soaked through. "Still think I'm cute when I'm angry?" Behind her, she could hear the boys gasp and Stella burst into laughter.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that, Bloom" Riven yelled, his face twisting in anger.

Bloom stepped back in shock. She hadn't expected Riven to react like that. "I'm so sorry. I was just kidding; I - I took it too far. Riven, I thought -"

"Get away" he hissed, brushing off the hand she'd just rested on his shoulder.

Brandon saw Bloom faltering and decided to step in. He knew Riven and thought he could reason with him. "Come on, Riven, she-"

"Fuck off, Brandon. I'm getting out of here" he said before running off.

Sky and Stella walked up to Bloom and Brandon, both unsure of what to say. "I, uh, wow" was all Sky managed to muster before Brandon interrupted him.

"I hate to do this, but the race is in an hour and we should really start getting ready."

"Yeah, you're probably right" Sky sighed. What a horrible atmosphere to leave the girls in.

"Okay. Bloom and I will do some shopping and be here in an hour to cheer you guys on!" Stella said cheerfully, trying her best to lighten the mood.

"I feel so bad" Bloom said staring in the direction Riven had gone off in. "Do you guys think I should go find him and apologise?"

"Puh-lease" Stella scoffed. "He had it coming."

***

Musa closed her memory rose. Thinking about her mom was hard enough, and now seeing her had somehow made it both better and worse. She closed her eyes, letting the tears that had pooled up fall, and laid her head against the wall. She took in a few deep breaths and enjoyed the breeze on her face. Despite the immense sadness it caused her, she felt strangely peaceful. She sat there for gods knew how long, only opening her eyes when she heard Simon & Garfunkel's 'Cecilia' coming from her phone. Of course her own Cecilia would call and check in on her today.

"Hi Cee" she said, accepting the holo-chat request.

"Hi M. You know why I'm calling, right?" Cecilia smiled, bright green eyes looking at Musa softly.

"I'm fine..."

Cecilia looked at her skeptically, carefully inspecting her best friends face. "Really? Cause it kinda looks like you've been crying."

Of course she would notice. Musa didn't know why she even bothered to try to deny it; Cecilia knew her better than anybody and could read her like a book. "I opened the memory rose today."

"No shit? Oh, wow. I forgot that thing existed."

"Yeah... it's been a long time."

"How was it?"

Musa hesitated; she had no idea how to properly describe the feeling. Eventually, she settled on: "super weird."

Cecilia gave a small chuckle, not daring to broach the subject. She knew Musa and she knew that she didn't like being forced to talk about her feelings. The easiest way to go about it was to give a small push - like calling her out on the crying - and then letting her take the lead. If she wanted to talk, she would.

They sat in silence; Musa in her own thoughts, Cecilia waiting to see if her stubborn and emotionally vulnerable friend would say anything else. Eventually she did: a small, barely audible "it was nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Cecilia looked at her friends face carefully. Her eyes still looked sad, but she had a soft smile. This was the most Musa had ever kept it together when the subject of her mom came up; it was time to push a bit more. "I know you don't like talking about her, and I know I can't fully understand, but I really think you should try to remember her before you start to forget things about her."

Much to Cecilia's surprise, Musa didn't shut her down. Instead she said "I know", her tone barely above a whisper. "That's why I chose to stay at Alfea today. She loved it here so I thought it would be a good place to start..."

Cecilia smiled. She fully believed that opening yourself up to pain was the best way to heal and she'd been trying to convince Musa of this for a few years, but she'd always been shut down. Even if Musa's allowance didn't extend past the memory rose and this phone call, it was progress. And that made Cecilia extremely happy. Maybe next year, she'd be willing to go to her grave.

Neither Musa nor her father had been in years; it was Cecilia and her parents that kept up maintenance of Musa's mother's gravestone. They'd brought Musa there that first Day of the Rose after her mother had died, but the poor six year old had been a wreck. She'd run away and Cecilia and her parents spent the better part of the day trying to find her, eventually locating her down by Virtuoso Beach, tearfully watching the other families play together.

"I'm sorry for bailing on our plans" Musa said, breaking the comfortable silence that had once again fallen between them.

"What? No. Don't be. I think this is a much better way for you to spend today. Besides, my parents were super happy when I suggested we have dinner tonight."

"That's nice. I can't believe you guys haven't celebrated the Day of the Rose for a whole decade because of me."

"M, babe, my parents love you - you're like the second daughter they never had. They would do anything for you."

"I know; sometimes I really think they love me more than you" Musa joked.

"You're probably right about that" Cecilia laughed; it was really nice to see Musa joking. "Anyways, I should get ready; I have a brunch date."

"Brunch? It's like 2:30."

"Nah boo, it's 10:30 here. Four hour time difference, remember?"

"Fuck, that's right. I forgot about that. What time is your date at?"

"Noon."

"Uh huh... And who is your date with? Cause, uh, we've spoken every week and you keep asking me about Riven, but you've not told me about anyone."

"Her name is Brianna... I met her on Match'r."

Musa laughed. "What?"

"New guy at the store - you know, to replace you after you bailed on your job to go to school - he convinced me to join."

"I apologise for wanting a magical education."

"As you should."

"Now, why do you need a dating app? You've never had trouble getting girls. You're better at it than Sky was last year and he was apparently 'drowning in pussy' - at least, according to his roommates. Though, they didn't use those exact words."

"Okay, you've mentioned Sky a few times now and I, like, really have to tell you that I am so looking forward to meeting your Magix version of me."

"You're prettier."

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"And smarter, but he could definitely whoop your ass in a fight."

"I'm really more of a lover so that's not very surprising."

Musa laughed; she could always count on Cecilia to cheer her up. "So, Match'r?"

"Right... well, I dunno. Like, yeah, I've always been good at getting girls, but those were always hook ups or fuck buddies. Hearing you get all gaga about this Riven guy, I dunno, kinda made me want to feel that way about somebody."

"Aw! You big sap, you" Musa said with a giant smile. "So...this Brianna girl?"

"Yeah, we only started talking a few days ago, but we've been talking nonstop since. She's gorgeous - dark brown eyes, platinum blond hair -"

"You really do love the blonds - ever since you somehow convinced Stacy Fershen to dump Chris - super popular, super hot Chris - for you. I'm still amazed that you somehow managed that."

"I am a damn catch, so you watch your whore mouth, okay."

Musa laughed again; Cecilia could always make her laugh so much her cheeks would hurt for days.

"Anyways, Brianna's hot, and funny, and she's super smart - she's studying to be a psychologist - and, I know you're gonna make a comment about me usually going for bimbos, but it's nice to be able to hold an intelligent conversation with someone."

"Does she do karaoke?"

"Oh, Musa. No one could replace you as my number one karaoke partner."

"No silly! I'm asking cause if she wants to date you, she'll have to hang out with me too and we go to karaoke at least twice a week."

"Huh... that's a good point. I'll be sure to ask. Now I really do have to get ready for this - I'm still in fucking pajamas."

"You're always beautiful."

"Uh huh" Cecilia said skeptically. "Call me literally anytime if you need to. I will drop Brianna and my parents so fast for you."

"Not necessary. Tell your parents I said hi."

"Will do. I love you M."

"I love you too Cee."

***

Bloom and Stella had spent the last half hour walking through the festival, stopping at various stalls to see what was available. Much to Bloom's surprise, Stella hadn't bought anything yet. Bloom had actually seen a few things that interested her, but nothing worth spending her allowance on. Maybe she should consider getting a part time job so she could have more spending money - Magix wasn't a lot more expensive than Earth, but the exchange rate was killer.

They walked into Triumph Square - the scene of the final battle in the Great War of Magix, though Bloom would only learn about that in the coming months. The Square was occupied by street performers, much like the ones that they'd seen earlier.

"Bloom, come on!" Stella said, pointing towards more stalls just beyond the Square.

Bloom turned to follow Stella but was distracted by a flash of red and a forming crowd. "Hang on a sec" she said, moving forward to see what had caught her eye.

A dark-skinned young woman with long flowy dark brown hair and a sultry voice danced and chanted. She wore matching red harem pants and bra and a hip belt with coins. The woman shook her hips and waved her arms to the beat of the magical instruments that surrounded her. Bloom watched her, completely entranced by her movements.

The dancer turned on the spot and Bloom gasped when she saw that it was actually the woman from her dreams. What she had imagined as a red outfit was actually the gold dress and the same bright light shone around her. "Come find me; your destiny awaits."

"Bloom, I found you!" a friendly voice said.

Bloom felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Timmy. When had he gotten here? She shook her head and looked back at the woman. Much to her surprise, it wasn't actually the woman from her dreams but the same dark haired dancer in red pants.

"Are you alright, Bloom?"

Bloom hesitated for a second before shaking her head again and chuckling. "Yeah, I must've spaced out."

"I bumped into the other guys and they said you vanished. Come on; let's go try to find them" Timmy said oddly, pulling her away from the dancer.

Bloom was confused, but allowed Timmy to lead her anyways. "What do you mean vanished? I was just with Stella like five minutes ago and the other guys were all prepping for the race..."

Timmy's eyes shifted, but Bloom was so focused on what he'd just said to notice. "Oh, well, uh, hey, you know, uh, I heard about the disagreement with, uh, Stiven." Timmy said. His voice sounded off to Bloom - maybe he was coming down with a cold?

"Uh... who?"

"Uh, I mean Riven" Timmy corrected between nervous laughs. "I'm sorry!" he shouted, grabbing her elbows and letting her go just as quickly.

Bloom did not understand why Timmy was acting so weird. He was always a bit kooky, but she had chalked that up to an adorable quirk. This time, though, he was just plain strange. Maybe he didn't like being alone with girls? Yeah, that must be it, she assured herself. With Timmy's strange behavior explained, her mind turned to the argument she'd had with Riven. She honestly hadn't meant for it to go so far but Riven had made her so mad and she'd stopped thinking rationally. Bloom knew she'd upset him; she hadn't hung out with Riven a lot, but from their limited interactions, she knew he was a very proud person. "I feel bad."

"Well, I know just the way you can patch things up."

"You do?" Bloom asked, perking up.

"Yeah!" The boy pulled a small black case from his pocket. "Ta da! Check it out."

Bloom looked at it uncertainly. It looked like a glasses case to her. Was Timmy suggesting that Riven had vision problems? "Um, what is it?"

"Just...let...me...gah" Timmy said, fumbling to open the case. It eventually opened to reveal what looked like headphones. Timmy sighed in relief and pulled out the headphones, propping them on top of his head. They instantly slid down to cover his eyes and Timmy struggled to get them to sit upright on his head.

Bloom was more confused than ever about Timmy. This was more than a funny voice. The boy was a whiz kid with technology; he shouldn't have trouble opening up a case and putting headphones on. "Everything ok, Timmy? You seem a little out of it."

"I'm okay. Everything is under control!" Timmy cried once he'd gotten the headphones on properly. "I bought this for Riven; a special domini, uh, omni drive helmet. See?" He pressed the button on top of the headphones and it unfolded into one of the helmets that the boys wore. "It's the latest model; perfectly engineered for dynamic speed and outside noise reduction." Timmy pressed the button again and it folded back into the headphones. "You should give it to him" He said, handing the helmet over to her.

"Cool!" She replied. What a great idea Timmy had! Then she realised that it wasn't right; she hadn't bought the gift. "But if you bought it for him you should give it to him. I can't take credit for your gift."

Timmy shrugged. "It's a way for you two to make up. Tell him you wanted him to crash, uh I mean drive well and you hope he likes it."

"Thanks Timmy, this was very thoughtful of you." Bloom said, completely missing Timmy's slip up.

"Uh, I gotta run; gotta get to the...science thing at the...place. Bye!" Timmy stammered before running off.

Bloom looked up, once again confused. He really was a strange one.

***

The ladybug landed in front of a wooden house with floor to ceiling windows surrounded by large flowers and trees. Flora hopped off of the ladybug and collected her bag before turning back to the large house and eyeing it happily. Through the front window, she could see a little head of honey-coloured hair sitting on their couch.

Miele, Flora's 10 year old sister and the owner of the honey hair, turned to look out the window for what must have been the twentieth time in the last five minutes. She'd been impatiently waiting for her big sister to arrive. Her big jade eyes went even wider and a huge grin appeared on her face when she spotted Flora. The small girl jumped off the couch and was out of the front door before Flora could even register that she'd been spotted. Within seconds, she was jumping in Flora's arms, causing her to drop her bags which broke open, spilling its contents onto the ground.

Miele dropped herself to the ground, kicking at the dirt sheepishly. "Sorry" she whispered.

"It's okay sweetie; there's nothing fragile in there - just some clothes for the weekend and some gifts."

Flora's parents, Alyssa and Rhodos - who had followed Miele out - moved forward to hug their eldest daughter. "It's so nice to have you home. It just isn't the same without you" Rhodos said, squeezing her tightly.

"Oh, yes, sweetheart. Miele's been helping us out in the greenhouse but she's not quite as proficient as you when it comes to plants."

"But she's learning quickly" Rhodos added, ruffling Miele's hair.

"Let's go in" Flora said, waving her hand over her fallen bag to collect her things. "I'll make us some tea."

***

Bloom ran back to the start location of the race, texting Stella along the way to tell her where she was. She knew Stella would hate to miss Sky in action - especially if he fell and she wasn't the one to comfort him. She was just a few feet away from her friends when she heard the announcer speak to let the audience know that the race was about to begin.

"Ladies and Gentleman and creatures from all Realms, welcome to the annual Race for the Rose. Will last year's champion go home with his third Rose trophy or have last year's losers learned a thing or two?"

Stella walked alongside Brandon and Sky, all three of them wondering where she was. "She told me to meet her here. I swear, I just went to see a stall with cute earrings and when I turned around she was gone."

"Guys, wait up." a familiar voice shouted.

"Bloom! Where did you run off to? Tell me you spotted an amazing sale."

"Um, no..." Bloom replied, looking around for Riven. Thankfully, his magenta hair made him rather easy to spot in a crowd. "Hang on a sec."

Riven had a talent for pushing back any unwanted feelings - anger included. He had just managed to pull all his focus on the upcoming race when he heard a voice calling his name. He turned his head and spotted a head of bright red hair walk his way. "What the fuck do you want, Bloom? Did you come here to tell me you hope I lose?"

"No, I wanted to give you this. It's a, uh, state-of-the-art... uh, it's a gift" she said, not remembering what Timmy had said about it. She clicked the button, letting the helmet unfold in her hands. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Let me see that, thank you." Riven said roughly, grabbing the helmet from her. He put his helmet aside and pulled on the gift helmet. It was comfortable, allowed for good vision and he could swear that the crowd around him had gotten less noisy. He pushed the button as Bloom had and felt the helmet return to a headpiece.

Bloom was taken slightly aback by the way he'd just grabbed the helmet from her hands, but really she shouldn't have been; she knew Riven could be a bit rougher. "So... are we okay?"

"Yeah" he replied curtly, sitting down on his bike. "Are we all done here?"

"Um, yeah, I guess we are. Good luck in the race."

Bloom had started to walk off when Riven called her back. She turned back to him, very much curious about what he wanted; he wasn't the type to initiate conversation.

Riven took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he had actually called her back; now he had to go forward with what had been an impulse thought. Gods, he really hoped this didn't backfire on him. "About what you said... is it true?"

"What I said about what? I said a few things."

Riven took another deep breath, mentally kicking himself for even thinking about this. "About...her." Gods, he was pathetic; he couldn't even get her name out.

"What?" Bloom questioned before catching on what he meant. "Musa?"

Riven nodded.

Bloom hesitated. She'd let it slip that Musa liked him; she couldn't exactly deny it. That would just be dumb. "Um, yeah... it's true, but please don't make it weird for her. And please don't tell her I let it slip; she's going to be so freaking pissed at me."

Riven felt his heart swell with joy. She likes him. She likes him. She likes him.

Bloom watched Riven's face curiously. The boy looked ahead, refusing to meet her gaze. Ten seconds ago he had looked like he was ready to murder someone and now his features had softened tremendously. Almost like the knowledge that she liked him made him happy. "You like her" Bloom said, thinking out loud.

Riven's face hardened again when he turned back to Bloom. "We're done here."

Bloom nodded, trying to suppress the smile that was forming on her lips. There was a heart under that rough exterior; Bloom had just been witness to a miniscule piece of it. Best of all, Riven liked Musa back! Now that she had this bit of information and a small glimpse of the boy that lay beneath the attitude, she would be willing to jump on Flora's side against Tecna and Stella's insistence that Musa could do better. Who was she to stand in the way of two hearts that clearly wanted each other?

Riven pressed the button, activating the helmet. Once no one could see his face, he smiled bigger than anyone had ever seen him smile. She likes him. After the race, he would find out from Bloom if she was still in Magix. If she was, he would find her, give her the necklace and kiss her like he'd wanted to since he first laid eyes on her. But for now, he had a race to win.

***

The carpod pulled up to a sleek modern purple building. Tecna stepped out and accepted her bag from the automated arm in the trunk. She walked to the door and rested her hand on the box at the entrance. The box emitted a green light that shone over Tecna's body, scanning her and alerting her parents as to the presence outside their door.

A hologram appeared before her of a tall, slender man with vibrant purple hair and an elegant woman with a calm demeanor. They were both intelligently dressed; a technologically advanced suit for the man - water and fireproof, as well as cut and tear resistant - and a modern, equally technologically advanced, calf length dress for the woman.

"Hello mother, hello father."

"Hello Tecna" Electronio, Tecna's father, replied, motioning towards the door.

The fairy of technology made her way into the door, handing her bag to the robot butler. Her home was as clean - and quiet - as she remembered. She kept her half of the dorm room at Alfea equally clean; not a speck of dust, loose paper or dirty clothes in sight, but of course nothing remained perfectly clean for long considering the hurricane that was her roommate. Musa referred to herself as an 'organised mess'; she claimed knew where everything was, despite having papers and knick knacks littering her side of the room. She called Tecna's side 'clinical', Tecna called it homey.

"How was your flight?" her mother, Magnethia, asked once Tecna had sat opposite them on the couch.

"Inefficient; my flight arrived fifteen minutes later than expected. Luckily, I still managed to find a carpod."

"That is unacceptable" her father replied, setting down his cup of tea. "Did you fly AirZenith?"

"No, unfortunately there were no flights from Magix to Zenith leaving this morning so I had to fly MagixAir."

"One would assume that an airline based out of the central realm in the magical dimension would be more efficient" her mother commented.

"Apparently not" Tecna replied, accepting a cup of tea from the robot butler.

They fell into silence; neither Tecna nor her parents being good conversationalists. (9)

***

Bloom made her way back towards the crowd to join Stella, stopping quickly to wish Brandon luck.

"All racers to the starting position."

"What did you give Riven?" Stella asked once Bloom had made it to her side.

"It's some state of the art helmet. Timmy thought of a way to help patch things up."

Stella looked at Bloom uncertainly. "Timmy?"

"Yeah, I bumped into him a few minutes ago. He was acting kinda weird, but he helped so..."

"Timmy went home for the Day of the Rose. He's in Magix, but his parents live out in the suburbs." (8)

"Maybe they were in the city for the festival. You know, like a family outing?"

"Not likely, darling. Timmy's parents are famous scientists, but they're also pretty reclusive."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Sky told me so and he got the information from Timmy himself."

"So... I don't understand; if that's true, who was I talking to?"

"Maybe you imagined it?"

"If I imagined it where did I get the helmet, Stella?"

Stella shrugged, returning her attention to the race and Prince Sky.

"Let the starting countdown begin. Start those power drives."

Bloom watched as the lights in front of the racers turned red. She wanted to focus on the race but she was too distracted by the conversation she'd just had with Stella; if Timmy wasn't in the city, who had given her the helmet? She looked around, hoping to see the imposter watching the race, but instead she saw something way worse: At the top of a tall building behind her stood the three witches.

"Oh no" Bloom muttered to herself before turning around and starting to push through the crowd, shouting her excuses to anyone that would hear them.

Stella heard Bloom say something, but she hadn't actually caught it - she had been too focused on how good Sky looked in his riding uniform and her slight fear that he'd get hurt again. She turned to ask Bloom what she'd said and was shocked to find the redheaded fairy was not beside her. Instead, she was pushing through the crowd. Stella shook herself out of her confusion and set off after her. "Wait! Sorry, Sir. Bloom, what the hell is going on?"

Bloom turned back to the sun fairy and pointed up at the witches. "Look up there, Stell. The witches are here."

"What are they up to?" Stella asked as the red light turned yellow.

"They're pulling some sort of trick. I think Riven's in big danger!"

"Obviously they're pulling something! But what?!"

"It's got something to do with that helmet. I've gotta stop Riven before something happens." Bloom took off running back towards the race, transforming along the way. Once she was at the front of the crowd, she sprung up and flew onto the track. She quickly spotted Riven near the front - trailing just behind Brandon. Mustering up all the energy she could, she flapped her wings furiously to gain speed.

"Woah! Someone call security, we've got an overenthusiastic fan on the track. As for the race, it looks like we've got a neck-and-neck with the riders from Red Fountain!"

Brandon didn't hear the announcer, he wasn't really listening to what was happening around him - instead, he focused on staying ahead of Riven. He leaned forward on his bike, preparing himself to speed up and widen the gap between himself and the magenta haired specialist. Instead of speeding up, he found himself slowing down. It wasn't possible that he'd run out of power, he'd charged his bike this morning and the charge usually last 4-5 days.

"So long, Brandon!" he heard as his bike stopped and Riven took the lead.

He couldn't believe this was happening; if he'd at least wiped out or something, it would've been much less embarrassing. A fluttering sound caught his attention and he saw the redheaded object of his affection flying past him; determination evident on her face. "Bloom?!"

Bloom could see Riven just ahead of her. Pushing herself to the limit, she sped up even more, shouting at Riven to stop his bike. She reached out to grab him, not entirely certain what she would do once she had caught him.

Riven maintained a one track mind: win. He focused on the finish line that stood 50 feet ahead of him now. He checked his mirrors to see if any of the other racers were close to him. On his right, one racer was a few feet behind him; not a problem. On his left, he was shocked to see red hair and wings. "Bloom?! What do you think you're doing? This race is mine!"

"Riven, listen to me! The helmet I gave you is a-" Bloom yelled, almost grabbing him. The specialist was determined if nothing else, she thought angrily as he sped up, leaving her in the dust.

She didn't relent though, forcing herself to speed up more to catch him. Was it possible for wings to shred, she wondered to herself before turning her attention back to the boy ahead of her. She saw in horror as sparks started flying from Riven's helmet and he raised his hands, trying to pry the helmet off of his head.

Riven had never felt pain like this - at least not in his head. It felt like every inch of his skull was being electrocuted. He gripped the helmet tightly, pulling with all his force to get it off, but nothing happened. The damn helmet would just not budge. At this rate, he was more likely to pull his head clear off his neck. He felt the bike slow down and start to jerk. Normally, his reaction would be to forget about the helmet and get the bike under control, but the pain was just so intense that he couldn't even think about the bike.

Bloom sped up as much as she could to try to get to the front of the bike. Unfortunately for her, the bike jerked in every direction and instead of flying around it like she'd hoped, she ended up flying into it. She was pushed off to the side with such force that she barely managed to beat her wings and change her trajectory.

Stella ran alongside the race as fast as she could. She'd considered transforming and trying to help Bloom, but honestly, she had no idea what the redhead had planned and she assumed she'd be in the way more than anything. Being on foot, she'd obviously lost Bloom, but thankfully she could see everything that was happening on the screens that lined the streets to allow viewers to watch the full race regardless of where they were.

Sky caught up to Brandon, stopping to make sure his friend was okay. "What's happening? I've never seen this many people crash out of a race before?"

"I have no idea, but Bloom just flew past. I think something's wrong."

Sky was about to ask what he meant when a deep voice that he easily recognised as Riven's cried out. It took no more than seconds for Brandon to hop onto the back of Sky's bike and for them to be off towards the sound of their distressed friend.

Bloom watched in horror as Riven, who was still trying to pry the helmet off, lost control of his bike and was sent flying. "I'm coming, Riven!"

She was almost to him when she was cut off by the only other racer left. The racer, a woman with long brown hair, caught Riven on the back of her bike. She came skidding to a complete stop, sending dirt flying into Bloom's face.

Sky came to a stop beside Bloom and watched in confusion as the woman lifted Riven's body and laid him on the ground. He had to admit he was a little impressed at her strength; Riven was a big guy.

Brandon got off the bike and ran to Bloom. He was so confused; she'd flown past him to catch up to Riven and now he was laying unconscious on the ground. "What did you do?"

Bloom turned to Brandon in shock. Did he really think she would harm Riven? Yes, they'd had an argument, but she wasn't a vengeful person. "I was trying to help him! Brandon, it was the witches."

"Ok... We gotta go see if Riven's okay" Brandon replied.

Bloom nodded and looked over to Riven. The crowd that had wanted to see if he was hurt had dispersed when it was confirmed that he was fine. The redhead could barely contain the urge to vomit when she noticed that Darcy was holding on to Riven's arm and batting her eyelashes at him. Like hell that witch would sink her claws into any friend of her crushes - she wouldn't classify Riven as her own friend. She batted her wings and flew between them, practically ripping Darcy's hand off in the process. "Claws off, witch."

Darcy and Riven were startled by the fairy's roughness. "Hey! Chill out, fairy. I saved him!"

Lucky for Darcy, Brandon arrived and pulled Bloom away from her. The fairy was ready to rip her a new one. If Bloom was anything, it was fiercely protective of those she cared about - or those that the ones she cared about cared about in Riven's case. "Like hell you did! It was you and the other witches who caused the accident."

"That's a lie."

Bloom looked at Riven in shock. Could he really believe that it had been her?

"I saw you, Bloom. You flew onto the track and did something to deactivate that bullshit helmet you gave me so that your little Brandon could win."

Brandon stepped between the two. "Woah! Why don't you hear her out first?"

Riven scowled at him. "I've heard enough. Take your stupid fucking gift back!" He removed the headpiece that still rested on his head and tossed it at Bloom, who raised her arms to protect herself.

"I was tricked! You guys" she said, turning to look at everyone - Brandon, Stella, Sky, and particularly Riven. "You have to believe me! They sent like a Timmy illusion or something to give me the helmet so I'd give it to him."

"A Timmy illusion?" Riven said skeptically. "Come on, do you expect anyone to believe that crap?"

"It's the truth I swear! Don't you guys believe me?"

"Of course we believe you; you wouldn't lie to us, Bloom" Brandon said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, so you believe her and not me?"

"I didn't say that, Riven. I just -"

"You're all in on this, aren't you?" Riven interrupted.

Sky shook his head in confusion. Riven was a lot of things - temperamental, stubborn, grumpy, cynical, crass, but never paranoid. "What?! Look, man, we're just trying to figure this out."

"Forget it; I'm sick of you guys. I'm requesting a transfer to a different squad of specialists! I'm gone."

When Riven turned to walk away, Darcy called after him. She hooked her arm in his and looked over her shoulder to smile wickedly at a teary-eyed Bloom.

"I didn't do it!" Bloom cried, partially to convince her friends, but mostly hoping Riven would have a change of heart and would come back and listen to her.

"Of course you didn't, Bloom. Those witches must want something with Riven" Brandon said.

Stella put a comforting hand on Bloom's shoulder. "It's not just Riven they're after, you know?"

"Yeah... it's all of us" Bloom replied with a bad feeling.

"So... what do we do now?" Sky asked.

"What do you mean?" Brandon replied.

"Well, do we stay here and still go to the party or do we call it a day?"

"I vote we stay and try to enjoy the rest of the day" Stella said, perking up. There was no point in focusing on a bad situation when there were so many great things to enjoy today.

***

Musa made her way into the kitchen; she hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now almost supper time. She opened the industrial fridge and walked through it - looking for inspiration. Eventually, she settled on a stir fry - just like she used to make her dad after her mom had passed and he'd stopped eating. Hey, if she was going to be walking down memory lane today, might as well go all out.

She was in the process of cooking her stir fry when the kitchen door opened. She turned her head to see who was still on campus, only to find the headmistress looking at her curiously.

"Miss Oshiro. I wasn't expecting any students to still be around today."

"Well, here I am" Musa said with an awkward laugh.

"Why didn't you go home? Melody is six hours away; you could've left last night - or even early this morning - and been with your parents all day."

Musa didn't necessarily feel like explaining to Faragonda the virtually non-existent relationship she had with her father, so she casually mentioned that he father had official business in D'alona that day and wouldn't be available.

Of course, Faragonda would then ask the question Musa dreaded: "What about your mother? You wrote in your admissions essay that she'd come to Alfea and you wanted to follow in her footsteps."

Musa, for the third time that day, explained that her mother had passed a decade earlier.

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that" Faragonda said. As much as Musa hated when people said that, she appreciated how genuine the headmistress sounded."May I ask your mother's name? I've been headmistress here many many years; I'd be happy to share stories of her time at Alfea if you'd like."

Musa swallowed the cursed tears that were once again forming in her eyes. Normally, she would refuse, but Cecilia was right - she needed to start remembering her mother. "That would be nice" the musical fairy said softly.

Musa took her pan off of the heat and offered Faragonda a plate. The old woman graciously accepted and motioned to Musa to follow her to the library. "Don't tell anyone - especially not Barbatea - that we're bringing food into the library."

"Is Miss Barbatea not here?"

"Oh no; I'm the only member of staff still here - even Griselda has gone back to Rodoria for the day. My parents are long gone so today is just me and my memories."

Musa had to admit that it felt nice to have someone else who knew what it was like to only have memories. Though, Faragonda's parents must have died way before her mother - the woman was ancient.

"Now, your mother's name?"

"Matlin Liu."

"Hmmm..." Faragonda said, stepping onto the search podium. "Class of 1994 yearbook." A book came barrelling towards her, which the woman caught effortlessly. "Here we are."

"Your mother was a wonderful woman - a hard one to forget." Faragonda opened the yearbook and showed Musa her mother's graduation picture. "She was president of the music club, part of the yearbook and prom committees and an honours student."

"Alfea has a music club?"

"Unfortunately, it's been disbanded over the years. Most of its participants were from Melody and enrollment from your home realm has been rather low. With no participants, the club eventually stopped."

Musa sighed. It would've been nice to participate in a music club; meet friends that shared a passion with her. It wasn't that she didn't love Tecna, Flora, Stella and Bloom; she just missed having people like Cecilia around. Someone she could bounce ideas off of or ask for second opinions on a song or even just spend hours singing into a hairbrush and dancing around in their pajamas.

"Do you remember all the students that have come through?"

"I try to. I've dedicated a significant portion of my life to Alfea and its students. I believe every one of Alfea's girls marks the school and the world in their own way."

Faragonda turned the page and a large photo of her mother - much younger than Musa had ever seen her - stared up at her. "Matlin was voted most talented in her graduating class. She was constantly singing - on the quad, in the hallways, in the lecture halls. Luckily, she also got good grades so the professors would let her humming slide unless it was distracting other students."

"That sounds like her" Musa said quietly, pushing back the tears once again. "Almost all the memories I have of her are of her singing while she cooked, or did her hair and makeup. When she cleaned; she would always pick me up and twirl me around - singing the entire time, obviously."

Faragonda smiled softly at the young girl before her; her parents had lived long lives and she'd gotten to enjoy their company until seventeen and fifteen years ago when her father and then mother had passed. She couldn't imagine what it felt like to lose a parent so young.

"She also had a nasty habit of breaking curfew - got caught quite a few times, spent quite a few Saturdays in detention. Perhaps one of the ways you will follow in her footsteps will be in breaking curfew - you seem to be making a habit of it so far."

Musa chuckled and looked away.

"I see a lot of her in you."

That did it. The tears Musa had been holding back spilled over as she looked up at Faragonda questioningly. The old woman nodded at her with the same loving look she always seemed to have. Musa turned her attention back to the photo before her and ran her finger along the page. "You really think so?"

"I do. You're passionate, incredibly talented, lively, stubborn, rebellious, kind and intelligent. All words I would use to describe Matlin as well"

Musa wiped away her tears and, though she was crying, she found herself feeling incredibly happy. All she'd ever had of her mother was what she remembered; her father never spoke of her and she'd followed his example. Whenever someone - her aunt or Cecilia and her parents, usually - tried to talk to her about her mother, she'd shut them down. That was wrong; her mother was a huge influence in her life and she deserved to be spoken about. It just sucked that it had taken this long for her to realise that.

"Thanks Miss F."

"Anytime," Miss Faragonda said gently. Sensing that the young fairy needed to be alone at the moment, she picked up their plates and left the library.

Musa sat at the table, flipping through the yearbook and wiping the tears that continued to fall. Her mother was a frequent presence in the yearbook and it made Musa's heart soar. She'd grown up with a single picture of her mother - one that Cecilia's mom had given her after she'd discovered that Musa's father had burned all the pictures they'd had. Now, Musa had easily a dozen and a half pictures of her.

***

Bloom walked behind the rest of the group, still going over that afternoon's events in her head.

"Bloom" Brandon said kindly, "you have to stop focusing on it; Riven is a grown man - he made a decision."

"Yeah" Sky agreed. "It isn't one we think is a good decision, but he still made it."

"Seriously Bloom, just let it go" Stella said, accepting a bag from the merchant she'd just bought a pair of shoes from - her third of the day.

"It's not just that I'm worried about him going with the witches..."

Stella sighed impatiently. They were all worried about those crazy witches using or hurting Riven (really, even Stella was), but Bloom had been going on about it for the past three hours. Frankly, it was getting on Stella's nerved.

"Seriously guys; there's somebody we're forgetting in this whole equation."

All three of them looked back at her uncertainly. Riven, Darcy, Bloom; those were the only people in this equation as far as they could think.

Bloom exhaled before speaking. She knew the reaction that was coming with what she would say: "Musa."

Sky and Stella's eyes grew wide. "Oh shit" the prince muttered, while Stella let out a low 'oh Gods'. Both of them knew how Musa felt about Riven - Sky more so that Stella since the dark haired fairy had actually discussed her crush with him. He knew she would be hurt when she found out, but he still firmly believed that: "we have to tell her."

"I mean, yes..." Stella started, "but does it have to be today?"

Brandon looked at them uncertainly. "Why is Musa an important person in this story?"

"Seriously, dude?" Sky said, shaking his head.

"I mean, come on Brandon. Were you not paying attention when Bloom was going off on Riven earlier? Musa likes him."

"And he liked her" Sky added. "At least, I really thought he did."

Brandon couldn't believe he'd missed that bit of information. It was one thing to not really notice any unspoken attraction, but how had he missed Bloom literally saying it in front of him. Maybe he'd been distracted by Riven's reaction or how much he liked Bloom's fiery personality. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, dude. How could you possibly miss the way they looked at each other?" Sky loved Brandon - really he did - but he couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed Riven and Musa constantly looking over at each other whenever they were in the same room.

"Brandon missing something that, admittedly, was pretty obvious is not the point here" Bloom said, trying to bring the conversation back to its original topic. "Do we tell her?"

"Yes" Sky said without hesitation.

"But not today" Stella added.

"What do you mean 'not today'?"

"Well... it's just, today's already a rough day for her" Stella started. "Do we really need to make it worse by telling her the guy she likes has gone off with a witch? A witch that's literally after us, at that."

"Why is today a rough day for her?" Brandon asked.

Stella and Bloom looked at each other, not really sure if they should tell them. Stella knew that telling the boys about Musa's mom would make them understand why she didn't want to tell her today, but she also knew that if it were her, she wouldn't want her friends talking about her parents' divorce to other people.

"It doesn't matter" Sky said before either of the girls could figure out what to say. "When you get back to Alfea tonight and Musa asks how your day was, you're going to what? Just 'forget' to tell her about a major event? And then, tomorrow, when you 'remember' and tell her, she's going to be just as upset that you didn't tell her straight up as she is about Riven."

"No she isn't" Stella said dismissively.

"Really? She isn't?" Sky challenged. "She isn't going to feel like you think you need to protect her? Or that you lied to her?"

"I hate to admit it, but I think Sky is right, Stella."

"Really, Bloom? Do you remember how sad she was this morning? How are you going to go and tell a girl that has a dead mother that the guy she likes is with another woman, on the same day that she's spent crying over her mother? She doesn't need to have more pain today."

"I don't know, Stella. But we have to."

"Brandon? You agree with me, don't you?" Stella asked, desperate for someone to back her up.

The blond specialist looked at his three friends uncertainly. He had no idea what to think. "I'm going to abstain from this. I don't think I know Musa well enough to have an opinion."

"Musa's mom is dead?" Sky asked, having only registered what Stella had accidentally let slip.

Stella turned to him, surprised that he knew that bit of information. "What?"

"You just told the guys about Musa's mom, Stella."

Stella's jaw fell open. "Oh Gods; I didn't mean to let that slip. Please just pretend you didn't hear it from me."

Sky ran his hand through his hair. He was starting to see Stella's point about making today suck more, but he still genuinely believed Musa would be upset if they waited to tell her. "Look, if neither of you want to, I'll do it."

"You?" Stella asked skeptically. "Why would you tell her?"

"Well, you don't want to and, between me and Bloom - and correct me if I'm wrong - I think Musa and I have a closer friendship."

"You and Musa are friends?"

"I mean, yeah - we have a text history so long that the messages from when we first met have already been deleted. And my phone saves up to 2000 texts per contact."

"Um, dude, I don't mean to downplay your friendship with her" Brandon interrupted, "but I've seen your texts and more than half of them are memes."

"That's not the point - I know her well enough to know how to handle this."

"You know what?" Stella said, "It doesn't matter. We're not telling her tonight."

Bloom watched in annoyance as Stella and Sky spent the next two minutes literally just shouting 'yes we are' and 'no we're not' at each other. She shook her head the whole time they argued and that must've set off something in her brain cause she had what her mother would call a 'light bulb moment'. "How about we compromise?"

The two royals stopped their bickering and looked over to the redhead. How could they possibly compromise on this?

"When we get back from the party tonight, if Musa is awake, Sky can tell her. If she's asleep, we wait till tomorrow."

***

"How has school been, sweetheart?" Alyssa asked as she placed the green beans on the table. They were preparing a late lunch after having spent the better part of the day catching up on what Flora had missed at home, mostly with their plants. Their family house was attached to a large greenhouse that was a family project. Flora had started working in it when she was five, as had Miele. Her parents firmly believed that exposure to nature was a significant factor in developing a love, or at least a respect, for the world around them.

"Really good; I love the classes - especially botany - and my roommates are all such wonderful girls."

"That's so good to hear" Rhodos commented as he finished sautéing the mushrooms. That was one of the things that Flora loved about her parents' relationship; the work was always evenly split. Her childhood best friend's parents didn't have a relationship like that; Clementine's mother always did the housework and her father barely helped. Anytime Flora had gone over, she could see the difference in how their work balance affected their relationship versus how it affected her parents' relationship.

"Oh come on now, you have to tell us more than that" Alyssa laughed, as she plated the lentils.

Flora told them about her friends; about the musical fairy with the voice of an angel and the technological fairy who's brain was truly a wonder, the sun fairy that was always good for a laugh and some fashion advice and the Earth girl who'd discovered that she had powers just before the school year started and was always there when you needed a study buddy or a shoulder to cry on.

"They sound great!" Miele said. The young girl had sat down at the table just as Flora had started talking about Musa. "Do you think I could come back to Alfea with you and hang out with you and your friends?"

Flora laughed at her sister's request. "I would love that, but you're a little too young."

"Besides darling, your powers aren't fully developed" Alyssa pointed out, gently as not to hurt the ten year olds feelings.

"And the school year's already started so you'd be a little behind" Rhodos added.

Miele crossed her arms and huffed.

Alyssa and Rhodos joined their girls at the table for their Day of the Rosa traditions. They had felt odd the first time Flora had been old enough to celebrate the Day of the Rose because they didn't like having an entire day dedicated to them. So they turned it into a day dedicated to celebrating their family. Before eating, they would go around and say something they loved about every person at the table. For supper - lunch this year since Flora had a flight to catch - they had something chosen by each member of the family. This year, the meal consisted of Rhodos' famous (at least in their family) sautéed mushrooms, green beans and red lentils - Flora, Alyssa and Rhodos' favourites, respectively - with apple crumble for dessert - Miele's favourite.

"I love that Miele is very enthusiastic" Rhodos started, "I love that Flora still finds a way to see the best in everyone, and I love that Alyssa still scrunches up her face all funny when she thinks really hard about something - which is often because she's brilliant. Who's next?"

"I'll go" Alyssa volunteered. "I love that you always make corny jokes that no one but you laughs at. I love that Miele is kind to everyone and everything she meets. I love that Flora is blossoming into a beautiful, strong and loving young woman."

"My turn" Miele said, jumping up from her spot to hug her family as she told them what she loved about them, "I love that daddy always cheers me on. I love that mommy still reads me bedtime stories even though I'm a big girl and I'm not supposed to still need them. I love that Flora is willing to hang out with her little sister even though she's a bigger big girl and hanging out with your little sister isn't 'cool'. And I really love that she came home today because I really miss her."

Flora hugged the little girl, who'd silently started weeping, even tighter. "Oh sweetie pie, I miss you too. You know you can always call me, and if I miss your call, I'll always call you back." Miele nodded into Flora's chest, tears soaking into the front of her shirt. "I love that Miele is so full of life and love. I love that mom is always ready with a listening ear and a cup of tea. I love that dad is always there to lift me up and support me when I need a cheerleader."

The family dug in to their plates, conversation flowing freely. They talked about any and everything - there had never been secrets in their family, not in the last three years anyways. When Alyssa brought out the apple crumble, made from fresh apples from the apple trees in the back garden, Miele refused the small plate and tried to eat directly out of the pan, causing an uproar of laughter around the table. After dinner, the retreated to the living room to play board games and watch family movies until Flora had to leave to catch her flight.

***

Tecna, Electronio and Magnethia sat around their table, waiting for the robot butler to bring them their meals. Tonight's menu consisted of algorithm soup, precision-bobs with counting custard for dessert (10). All food on Zenith was engineered to be brain boosting and nutritious. Algorithm soup was Tecna's favourite; it reminded her of the advanced math class she'd taken in high school.

"How is school?" Magnethia asked.

"Very good; I am maintaining a perfect GPA and doing very well in my classes."

"Excellent" Electronio said happily. His daughter was a real genius and he couldn't be prouder. "Do you have a preferred class or professor?"

"My favourite class is Practical Applications of Mathematics in Magic. It is not a required course, but it is very fascinating. I must say that the required History of the Magical Dimension is also very fascinating. Currently, we are studying the history of Magix itself as it is one of the oldest realms. I assume we will not get to Zenith until third year as it is one of the newer realms."

"A history class? That is surprising."

"I have also made great friends."

"Is that so?" Magnethia said skeptically. She had never really seen the purpose to social interactions beyond educational or research purposes and, of course, procreation. While she did love Electronio, their relationship was based more on their compatibility, goals, education level, research interests than on their romantic feelings. Feelings, as far as she were concerned, were more distracting than anything.

"Yes" Tecna replied enthusiastically before going into detail about her friends. Magnethia and Electronio looked at her curiously, simply replying 'how nice' once Tecna had finished talking. She loved her parents, really she did, but she'd always wished that they would be more open to social interactions. She'd grown up in a home that was very intellect focused, but they'd neglected social intelligence and Tecna felt that this put her at a disadvantage. She sighed before accepting that her parents weren't particularly interested in her friends. "How is your research going?" she asked, wanting to find something to talk about. She couldn't believe it, but she missed the girls' constant chatter.

***

Musa had sat in the library for the better part of the early evening flipping through the 1992, 1993 and 1994 yearbooks, hunting down every picture of her mother she could find. She eventually stopped to head back to the dorm, bringing the yearbooks with her. She'd just unlocked the door when her phone had started ringing. She pulled it out of her back pocket to see who was calling and was touched to see that it was Flora.

Flora was calling to see how she was doing, being surprisingly direct. She'd gotten used to Flora tiptoeing around situations people didn't want to talk about. Musa confirmed to her that she was hanging in okay, though honestly, she was doing better than okay. She may have cried today - a lot - but it wasn't entirely as painful as it usually was.

"What have you girls done today?" Flora asked.

Musa responded that Bloom and Stella had gone into the city with Brandon and Sky. She was about to tell her about the conversation with Faragonda when she heard Flora's little sister shouting at her that it was her turn. "Go back to your family, Flo. You've been telling us how much you miss them since the second week of school."

"Oh, it's fine sweetie" Flora said, not wanting to leave Musa alone. She was worried that her friend wasn't okay like she claimed to be.

"Flora" Musa scolded. "I swear if you don't go back to your family, I will play death metal so loud every single morning that you'll wish you were dead."

The nature fairy reluctantly hung up, telling Musa that she was here if she needed to talk. Musa had to admit that it was nice to have so many people that cared about her - Tecna had even texted her earlier to say that she was happy to listen if Musa needed to vent.

As Musa entered their dorm, her phone went off again. She pulled it back out of her pocket, expecting one of the girls to be calling. She knew it wasn't Cecilia since she was the only contact with a special ringtone. Much to Musa's surprise, however, her phone screen showed that it was someone she hadn't expected to hear from at all today. "Hi dad"

"Hi Musa"

Silence hung awkwardly in the air for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to say. They'd never had a good relationship and most conversations they'd had had ended in arguments with Musa storming out and spending the night at Cecilia's.

"How's school?" her father asked after what felt like an eternity.

"Good. I'm doing well and my roommates are nice."

"That's good."

"How's D'alona?"

"Good. Your uncle and I met with the king and his advisor and are in talks of renegotiating our agreement. I can't get into too much detail as it is top secret, but it'll be good for Melody."

Musa nodded silently, completely aware that he father couldn't see her. They stayed on the phone in awkward silence a few minutes longer until she'd had enough. "Why are you calling, dad?"

Her father cleared his throat, taken aback by her upfront question. He shouldn't have been, she thought. She'd never been one to avoid conflict with him. In fact, she almost seemed to thrive on it; his disapproval or refusal always motivated her to do what she wanted even more. "Well... today is... today."

"Yes it is."

"I thought it would be nice if we talked."

"We've not talked or done anything at all for the Day of the Rose since mom died. What makes this year any different?"

"Well, you're at school instead of home and I am your father."

Musa rolled her eyes. Her being in Melody would've changed nothing because they'd never done anything, even when they were both home. Instead, she could say he'd actively avoided her on the Day of the Rose. "You're my father... biologically, sure. But you didn't raise me; Cecilia's parents and a string of underpaid and overworked nannies did."

"I did my best" he defended weakly.

"You did nothing" she responded coldly before hanging up.

***

Stella, Bloom, Brandon and Sky sat at a table they'd managed to snag and watched the couples dance around them. They'd danced for the last thirty minutes or so, but all of them seemed to have trouble enjoying themselves. The incident with Riven hung over them like a dark cloud and it had only gotten worse as the day went on.

Bloom fiddled mindlessly with the plastic cup before her. She felt so stupid for thinking that that was really Timmy. Of course he wouldn't be here - the guys would've mentioned that he'd be joining them at some point. And now the witches had sunk their claws into Riven and Musa was going to get hurt - all because of her stupidity.

Brandon kept replaying that final argument with Riven. There was no way the boy actually believed Bloom would curse him; she was a lot of things (all positive in his opinion), but she definitely wasn't cruel or a cheater. And then to go ahead and side with a witch over his own team?! What was wrong with him?

Stella rested her head on Sky's shoulder as she watched Bloom play with her cup. Her mind was so occupied that she didn't even know what to think. How could Riven honestly believe that Bloom would curse him? Why were the witches after him? How were they going to tell Musa that Riven was with a witch now? It was all just too much and it was giving her a headache.

Sky rested his head on Stella's. He would normally love the feeling of her head on his shoulder and her honey scented shampoo filling the air around them, but he was too preoccupied with how he was going to tell Musa. He knew she was crazy about Riven and he didn't want to be the one responsible for her heartbreak, but his gut also told him that she'd take it best from him.

"Maybe we should just go?" Brandon suggested after they had sat silently at their table for what felt like an eternity, but was in reality only twenty-three minutes.

Bloom nodded in agreement before downing the rest of her punch. "Yeah, there's not much point in us hanging around; none of us seem to be having fun."

Sky agreed, adding on a "might as well get this over with."

Stella was the most reluctant to agree; the earlier they left, the more likely it was that Musa would still be awake. Unfortunately, she was outnumbered three to one so she got up and followed her friends back to the guys' bikes. On the way out, Sky spotted the witches and Riven grabbing a drink. It had taken all his will power to suppress the urge to gag when he saw Riven plant a kiss on Darcy's lips. Telling Musa had just gone from bad to awful - how the fuck was he going to do this?

***

Conversation flowed until the ladybug landed in front of their door; it was quiet after that, nobody wanting to be the first to say goodbye. Eventually, Rhodos was the one to break the silence, knowing that his daughter had a flight to catch.

The family hugged and cried when saying their goodbyes and soon Flora found herself reluctantly getting on the ladybug. As it took off, she waved goodbye to her family, comforting herself with the thought that she'd get to see them in two short months once mid-year break rolled around in January.

The cold early evening air nipped at her face and Flora found herself thankful that she'd changed into pants and a sweatshirt before leaving home. Her flight was at 7pm Linphea time and she would be landing in Magix around midnight. She'd changed because she still didn't feel comfortable walking around alone late at night, especially in a short skirt, but it just so happened to work out that it also meant she wouldn't have to deal with as much wind chill on the long ride back to Linphea airport.

***

Tecna sat by her gate in Zenith's high tech airport, her focus on her laptop. She had decided to get a start on her potions essay even if it was only due in three weeks. She could almost hear Stella laughing at her for being so focused on school - the blond often did. Luckily, she had the other three who, though not as studious, were well focused on their education. And, of course, she had Musa who was always willing to tell Stella off in Tecna's defence - though it could be that she just enjoyed telling Stella off in general.

A beep on her phone alerted her to an incoming text message, followed shortly by another beep. The first message was from Flora, who thankfully had finally understood that Tecna preferred texting to calling.

I just got off the phone with Musa. She says she's "okay" but I don't know if I should believe her. Apparently Stella and Bloom went downtown to hang out with Sky and Brandon and left her alone? Have you heard from her?

Tecna shot off a quick reply, informing Flora that she and Musa had texted earlier and that Musa had said that she'd told the girls to go and that she hadn't felt like it, and as far as Tecna knew, she was doing fine.

Her second message was an automated message informing her that her flight was now boarding. Tecna had to admit that she was a bit shocked that it was already 9:30 and that her flight would be leaving in half an hour. She had been so absorbed in her essay that she hadn't seen the last hour fly by. She packed up her laptop and made her way to gate 23-X; 30 minutes until they took off, 3 hours until they landed at 11pm Magix time - 1am Zenith time - and then another half hour and she'd be at school, falling asleep in her organised half of the mess that was her dorm room.

***

Bloom, Stella, Brandon and Sky made their way up to the girls' dorm. All four were on edge for their own reasons. Brandon was still reeling that Riven had chosen Darcy over them - his team. Stella was still of the opinion that Musa didn't need to hear this on what was already a hard day for her, hopefully the musical fairy would be asleep when they got there. Sky was certain Musa would be awake - he'd gotten texts from her in the early hours of the morning so he knew she was a night owl. He, along with Bloom, worried that she'd be hurt - they knew how she felt about Riven, though neither of them knew just how strongly. Bloom also didn't know what Sky had seen as they were leaving the party.

Stella pushed the door open to find the musical fairy on the floor staring up at them, guitar on her lap and pen in hand. "Wow - did the party suck that bad? It's like 9:30; I wasn't expecting you girls until at least midnight."

"Yeah, we weren't really feeling it" Bloom replied.

"How was your day?" Stella asked quickly. She wanted to know how much worse Sky would be making things for her.

Musa was taken aback by her question. Stella was usually the type to go on about whatever had happened to her before asking anyone else - when she remembered to ask that is. "Better than I thought it would be" she replied once she'd recovered from the shock. "I talked to Flora and my best friend Cecilia, texted Tec, got into a bit of a fight with my dad and had a chat with Faragonda - that was kinda weird." She'd chosen to leave out the bit where she'd talked to her mom; she didn't feel like crying again today.

"Sounds like a decent day" Bloom replied, glaring at Stella to convey a message of 'don't say anything stupid'.

"Yeah, it was" Musa said happily - it really had been the best Day of the Rose she'd had in a long time. "How was your day? Besides the apparently shit party..."

Stella crossed her arms in a huff. "That's your cue, Sky."

Sky looked over to Musa, who wore a confused expression. "Let's take a walk." If he was going to shatter her heart - he didn't want the others around making it worse.

Musa got up from her spot on the floor, laying her guitar on the couch. She followed Sky silently to the garden behind the ballroom. Once there, he sat on one of the benches, motioning for her to sit beside him. They sat in silence for a few minutes - Musa utterly confused as to what was happening and Sky completely uncertain of how to do this.

"So something happened today..." he finally said.

"Something... good?" she replied optimistically, though the look on his face said otherwise.

He looked at her sadly. He had really come to think of her as a sister over the last two months and he hated having to do this; he hated Riven for making him have to do this. "No."

Musa sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay, so what happened?"

"Well... After we met up, Bloom and Riven got into a little spat right off the bat..."

"Riven was there?" she interrupted - maybe she should have gone.

Sky tried unsuccessfully to hide the pained expression that crossed his face, though luckily the lanterns in the garden didn't give off the best light. "Yeah..."

"So they got into a fight?"

"Yeah."

"About what?"

"Honestly, that's not super important. After their fight Riven stormed off and we split ways with the girls cause we had to prep for the Race for the Rose."

"I have no idea what that is, but okay... continue."

"Annual race that the city holds on the Day of the Rose; not... anyways, um, while we were prepping Bloom ran into someone impersonating Timmy." Sky looked over to Musa, who sat sideways beside him, elbow resting on the back of the bench. "He gave her a helmet to give Riven as an apology, which she did. The witches spelled that helmet to cause Riven to crash -"

"Is he okay?" Musa quickly interrupted. Was he going to tell her that Riven had had an accident and was hurt? That would definitely put a bit of a damper on a surprisingly good day.

"He is not injured" Sky replied; he wasn't too certain Riven could be classified as 'okay' - the boy was willing to kiss Darcy after all.

Musa breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's good. So what's the 'bad thing' then?"

"When he flew off his bike, one of the riders caught him."

"Okay?"

"That rider was Darcy."

"As in... one of the crazy bitches that unleashed a Minotaur on us?"

"Yep."

"Mmmkay."

"Riven accused Bloom of tampering with the helmet because she'd caught on to what the witches were doing and had flown onto the track."

"That's ridiculous," Musa snorted "Bloom wouldn't do something like that."

"Yeah, well, you and Stella know that because you know Bloom, and Brandon trusts her and I trust him. But Riven doesn't really know her; he knows what little he's seen of her. She can listen to the voice of nature, make good sandwiches, distract Minotaurs and come up with decent plans... and she has a bit of a temper when you poke her inner dragon, as he discovered today when they had their fight."

"That's a good point" she sighed. "But -"

Sky waited patiently as she thought. Eventually, she realised she had nothing to say and shook her head, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand.

"He, um..." Gods, how could he phrase this? Might as well just blurt it out. "He went with Darcy."

Confusion flashed across her face and she took a few seconds before speaking. "I don't understand..."

"They are... together" he answered, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Together together?"

"Yeah" he sighed.

Musa shook her head, adjusting herself to sit properly. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. "Um, I mean, him leaving with her doesn't mean that they're, like, a thing."

Sky took a deep breath, feeling his heart break for the dark haired fairy beside him; he was going to have to drop a bomb on her. "I saw them kiss, Musa."

Musa felt her heart shatter.

She somehow managed to maintain an emotionless facade. Riven was with Darcy. How could that be when he'd almost kissed her just that morning? She'd seen the desire in his eyes; how could he just choose to be with someone else when she knew in her gut - she knew - that he wanted her. "Okay" she finally muttered.

"Okay?"

"He's a grown ass man; he can do whatever the fuck he wants."

"Musa..."

"It's fine Sky; it was just a stupid crush. It's not like I was invested in him."

"You sure?" He asked uncertainly. She nodded her head in response. "Kay. Come on, I'll walk you back up to your dorm."

"Actually, you can go. I still need a few minutes to, um, fully process this."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked once again, getting up from the bench.

"Yes." She looked up at him, hoping that seeing her face would assure him that she was fine even if she really wasn't.

He looked down at her intently, trying to make out any emotion on her face. She looked calm enough, so he left even if he didn't think she was as okay as she claimed to be. Unfortunately, the dim garden light hadn't hit her face the right way and he'd not been able to make out the sadness in her eyes. Had he seen that, he would've stayed with her, waiting silently until she let out the tears that she willed back; he would've hugged her as she cried - trying to protect her from heartache the way a good brother should - and tried to comfort her by telling her that Riven wasn't a good guy and that she deserved better. He would've stayed by her side all night if she'd wanted him to.

But he didn't see it, so she sat on the bench alone, barely keeping herself together, until he'd gone and she could no longer hear his footsteps in the distance.

***

Musa had made her way up to the East Tower in a bit of a haze. The steps, which looked terrifying in daylight, looked even worse at night. But she hadn't registered that - instead, her only thought was to get up there to hopefully find the solace of the inner peace she'd felt after finally having spoken to her mom after all these years.

She lifted herself onto the railing once again and leaned back against the wall, staring out at the forest before her.

She felt no peace.

She finally let the tears that had once again been forcing their way forward fall and cried until she had no tears left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I'll fly away - There are a few different versions out there, but my favourite one is by Haley Klinkhammer
> 
> (2) Moonshadow by Cat Stevens, although the Mandy Moore version is probably my favourite one.
> 
> (3) Riven knows quite literally fuck all about music so he doesn't know what a treble clef is - he never had to take music classes in elementary school or band in high school cause he never went to either of those...
> 
> (4) So I've set this story to the calendar of 2016/2017, which means that for Musa to be 16, she would've been born in the year 2000. For the record, in my world, here are their birth years: 1998: Riven, 1999: Bloom, Stella, Tecna, Sky, Brandon, and Timmy, 2000: Musa, Flora, Aisha. Helia will be older than them, but since that's next season, I've not decided quite when yet. Nabu is TBD cause s3 is just too far for me to think about just yet.
> 
> (5) I changed her appearance cause it annoys me that she's never seen with a look like that one again.
> 
> (6) Riven originally calls them Romeos in the 4kids version which makes no sense cause Romeo and Juliet is an Earth story.
> 
> (7) I like Riven too much to let him refer to himself as 'the Rivenator'. Honestly, it's just so cringe.
> 
> (8) I love Winx Club but the inconsistencies drive me nuts. Here Stella says he's not in Magix anymore, but the wiki pages all say that Timmy's family is from Magix?!
> 
> (9) So I know that Tecna's parents are very loving when we meet them in season six (I think), but I kind of prefer the idea that their a bit colder and more distant. I think it makes more sense that Tecna would have trouble with emotions if she grew up in a household that wasn't very emotional, rather than one that appears to be full of love.
> 
> (10) Some of the foods they have in season 6 when Timmy meets her parents for the first time after having been together for literal years.


	9. Spelled

_"Bloom! Blooom! The time has come. You must begin your journey."_

_Bloom looked around; she was in the same darkness she had been in every single night since the golden woman had presented herself in Bloom's dreams a week earlier. For the first time since she'd started having these dreams, she was in her Winx transformation. Turning back towards the voice, she found herself eye to eye with the woman - or rather face to eye as the woman was easily ten times her size._

_"What journey? Where am I supposed to go?"_

_"Don't worry" she smiled, "I will guide you."_

_Bloom was really starting to hate these dreams; the woman was so cryptic. Why couldn't she just come out and say what Bloom needed to do? "Guide me where? Who are you?"_

_"You know who I am. You simply need to find me. Come find me."_

_Bloom shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean? You're right here."_

_"You will know what I mean when your journey is done. Tell me; are you ready to begin your journey?"_

_Bloom pushed back all the doubt and confusion, determination taking over. "I am ready."_

_"I am ready!" she repeated, more to herself than the woman._

***

A loud crash of thunder woke Flora from the sweet dream she'd been having. In it, she wandered through fields of lilies and danced with a mysterious stranger. The man in her dream was different - special. He was kind and calm; she'd wandered across him drawing the lilies and had felt warmth emanating from him immediately. Flora knew men weren't a priority - her education and well-being were - but it would be so nice if she could meet someone like that. All the guys she seemed to attract in real life were only after her for her looks; big boobs and short skirts are all they ever seemed to want about her.

Flora turned over in her bed, trying to force herself back to sleep; she wanted to be in that field with that man. She'd almost fallen asleep when she sensed something was off. She wanted to ignore that feeling but she'd learned to never make that mistake again, so instead she cautiously opened her eyes. Nothing seemed off on her right so she rolled over to check the other side of the room.

It was Bloom. She was...flickering?

Flora got up to check on her roommate, picking up the blankets that Bloom had kicked off in the process. She jumped back, startled, when the girl suddenly transformed and quickly returned to normal.

"Bloom, sweetie, are you awake?"

_"What journey? Where am I supposed to go?"_

Flora shook her head; she must be imagining this. Maybe it was all just a dream - a really weird dream. Still, she needed to be sure, so she made her way over to Stella's room. Better to wake one fairy than two plus Stella was closer to Bloom than the others so she'd be more concerned - and hopefully not too angry that Flora interrupted her beauty sleep.

She sat on the large canopy bed and gently shook the blond awake. The girl shrugged Flora's hand off, mumbling incoherently. "Stella, wake up. It's Bloom" Flora whispered, shaking the blond again.

"No, you're Flora. I recognise your perfume. And you're in the wrong room; Bloom sleeps in yours, remember?" Stella muttered, turning over.

"No. Something is wrong with her."

That worked. Stella bolted upright, wide awake with panic. "Are the witches here?" She knew it was only a matter of time before they tried to steal her ring again; they hadn't struck since end of October when they'd sent that Minotaur after them and it was now early December. They must be plotting something truly devious.

"No, nobody's here - but something is wrong with Bloom."

Stella's panic faded now that she knew nobody was here to steal her ring. "Is she sick?"

"I don't think so."

"Is she talking in her sleep?" Stella had had a girl do that at a slumber party she'd thrown when she was twelve and it had terrified all the other girls to the point that they called their parents, asking them to send the chauffeurs to come get them.

"Well, yes, but that's not unusual - she talks in her sleep quite often."

"She does?" Stella said, intrigue peaking. Maybe Bloom had some steamy dreams about a tall, blond, blue eyed squire. "Anything interesting?"

"Stella" Flora scolded. "I'm serious, something is wrong."

"What is it then?" Stella said, losing her patience. She'd been woken from her beauty sleep and Flora wouldn't tell her anything except that 'something was wrong'.

"Just... come see" Flora sighed, knowing she'd sound crazy if she tried to explain it.

The two girls stood at the edge of Bloom's bed for two or three minutes, waiting for something to happen. So far, Bloom had just started muttering that she was ready, though for what was a complete mystery.

"It's just a nightmare" Stella dismissed after another two minutes, turning on her heel to march herself back to bed.

Just as Stella was turning, Bloom started to transform again. "But that's not just a nightmare. Look at her" Flora cried, grabbing Stella's wrist and forcing her back around.

_"Don't go, I'm ready!"_

Stella looked at the girl on the bed in shock. A faint light glowed around her and she seemed to be going from her pyjamas to her sparkly blue fairy outfit. "That's amazing. She's transforming in her sleep."

Flora felt the panic rise in her knowing that she was not imagining it. She had no idea what was happening or how to help or even if they should help. "Maybe we ought to do something. Let's get the others; maybe Tecna can do something to help her. O-or Musa, o-or maybe -"

"Flora..."

The nature fairy ignored Stella and continued to talk, panic rising along with her volume. "Maybe we should tell Miss Griselda. No, maybe not. Um, let's go and see Faragonda!"

"Flora."

"O-or maybe we shouldn't do anything at all. You know, like-like for a sleepwalker."

Stella sighed impatiently. She didn't have the most patience to begin with and she had significantly less in the middle of the night. "Flora, listen."

The brunette continued to look around nervously, completely ignoring Stella.

"Flora!" she shouted.

"What?!" Flora replied, matching her tone.

"Calm. Down. Or else you'll upset me too, then I'll raise my voice and then I -"

"Stella?" a soft voice muttered. "Flora? For crying out loud, what are you doing?"

Stella and Flora turned to see Bloom sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, she's awake" Stella stated. "Guess that solves that problem."

***

Flora hadn't managed to get back to sleep after Stella left their room; she'd been too worried about what had happened to Bloom. Eventually, she fell into a dreamless sleep, only to be woken by her alarm what felt like mere minutes later. She got ready half asleep and joined the girls to head down to breakfast.

"Did anyone understand the Ethics homework?" Bloom asked as they made their way down to the dining hall. "I mean, I got the gist of it: 'magic should be used for general good and not personal gain', but I swear it was utter nonsense."

"I am happy to help you with it if you would like" Tecna offered.

"Oh, Tec - just let her copy yours. She already said she got the gist of it, why do you both need to waste time going over it again?" Stella said, rolling her eyes.

"Stella. If she copies my homework - as you have attempted to do multiple times - she will never understand properly."

Stella shrugged her shoulders dismissively. She didn't even understand why they needed to study Magical Ethics; they were fairies for crying out loud - goodness was built into them. Oh and here was her chance to do some good: some fashion challenged senior fairy had thought a leopard print suit jacket with matching pants was a good idea. Stella was fully in favour of animal print and women rocking a power suit, but the two should never mix as one ensemble. She made her way over to the fairy, leaving her friends who continued to talk about the bore that was the Ethics homework. "Excuse me - I couldn't help but notice your outfit and I feel that, as a fashion lover, it's my responsibility to tell you that it's just... all wrong. Next time, it would be a good idea to try a neutral suit with a pop of animal print in your shirt or shoes."

The fairy sized Stella up before speaking. "Aren't you the one that blew up the potions lab last year? Why should I take your advice on what's a 'good idea' when you're obviously a complete idiot." She then walked away, not waiting for Stella's response.

"I am _not_ " Stella muttered indignantly and rubbing her head. She could feel a headache coming on.

"Where were you, sweetie?" Flora asked once Stella had made her way to their table.

"Oh, just trying to help someone that didn't want it but clearly needed it."

"What?"

"It's not important" Stella replied before turning her attention back to the other girls who were _still_ talking about that damned Ethics homework. "When did you all become such fucking nerds?"

***

Their last class on Fridays was History of the Magical Dimension 1; a class that all first year fairies took together in one of the lecture halls. It was interesting enough, depending who you asked. Bloom thoroughly enjoyed it, but that might be because it allowed her to learn about a world that was entirely new to her. "I still can't believe I'm here. This is still all so fascinating" she said to her friends as they left the lecture hall and made their way onto the quad for a quick break before they headed back up to their dorm to study. Midterms were coming up and they needed to get a whole lot of studying done.

"I still can't imagine how weird this must've been for you" Musa commented. "I mean, first finding out you had powers, but then discovering a whole new universe. You seriously handled it like a champ - I probably would've assumed I was going mad."

"It definitely was a lot to take in, but I had you girls supporting me and helping me find my Winx. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without you."

"How sappy" Stella commented.

"Speaking of your Winx," Flora started, ignoring Stella's rude comment, "what were you dreaming about last night?"

"Huh?" Bloom asked, not quite understanding how one related to the other. It was probably time to tell them about her dreams, though; they'd been going on long enough. "Okay, so I've been having these really weird dreams. In them, I'm completely alone except for this woman. And she tells me things like that I have to find her and to prepare for my journey."

"Which means what exactly?"

"That's the thing Musa, I don't know. But that's not even the strangest part." Bloom paused, looking at the girls. "Do you remember when we went to Cloud Tower?"

"It is quite hard to forget" Tecna said.

"And how I got us out of that burning room because a mysterious voice..."

"Yeah?" Musa replied.

"The woman in my dream is the same voice that led us out of the fire. I'm sure of it."

"Boring!" Stella shouted impatiently. "New topic."

"What did she look like?" Tecna asked, also choosing to ignore Stella's comments. She pulled out a round case with buttons lining the side.

"Well, she was tall and she was really beautiful but the specifics are kind of fuzzy."

"Just keep talking. My psychic beetle will pick up whatever you cannot remember." Tecna pressed one of the buttons on the side, opening the device and releasing a mechanical beetle. It batted its tiny wings and flew over to Bloom's head. Musa briefly wondered how Tecna had instructed it to scan Bloom before pushing the thought away, realising that even if she did explain it, Musa probably wouldn't understand.

"Okay, well, I know that she had long flowing hairs and she was underwater" Bloom said, resisting the urge to swat the bug.

"This PB bug is the latest version. It can do a digi-sketch." Tecna informed them happily.

"Isn't DJ Sketch the guy who spins top 40 tunes?" Musa joked.

"No" Bloom laughed, "a digi-sketch is like a digital rendering of a description. Right, Tecna?"

Stella walked off, needing to get away from her friends stupid chatter. Why were they so interested in Blooms dream anyways? She'd had a weird dream, big deal; everyone had weird dreams sometimes.

"Yes, but a psychic beetle digi-sketch is much more advanced" Tecna answered. "It has direct access to information from your subconscious."

"So that ladybug can see what's buried in my mind?"

"Exactly; I will show you." Tecna said, calling the beetle back. It landed in its storage spot seconds later. "I upload it; it sends psycho-digital signals to the bay and voila!" The lid closed and started to beep. Within seconds, a hologram of a woman's face appeared. She had long flowing blond hair and full lips, most importantly she wore the mask that Bloom recognised instantly. "Magic technology at its best."

Bloom laughed excitedly. "I still don't get how you did it, but that is her."

Tecna smiled proudly. "Like they say: when in doubt, go digital."

"Who says that?" Musa laughed.

"I've definitely seen that face somewhere before, I know it" Bloom said, studying the face carefully.

"Other than your dreams?" Flora asked.

"I remember where I saw her!" Bloom said triumphantly. "She's one of the nymphs on the facade of town hall. I -"

Stella stalked back to her friends; she needed this dull conversation to be over. "Ok, enough with the silly dream."

"Why do you keep interrupting me today?" Bloom shouted. She was really over Stella's attitude. The sun fairy had been rude to them since breakfast; constantly degrading, insulting and interrupting them. It was just a little thing to some, but being interrupted was one of Bloom's biggest pet peeves.

"Maybe it's because I'm tired of you always stealing the stage. It's always 'me, me, me' with you" Stella replied scornfully. "'Look at me, I'm the cute little girl from Earth. Look at me, I have powers. Look at me I have no clue how to control them.'"

Bloom crossed her arms. "That's not funny."

"Everyone has weird dreams, who the hell cares?"

Bloom felt the anger rise in her. How could Stella be so dismissive? "This is important, Stella!"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Yes, important to you, you, you."

"Stella" Tecna scolded. "What in the world is your problem?"

"Nothing! I am simply 'telling it how it is' - as Musa would say - I'm just 'keeping it real'"

"Do _not_ drag me into this."

Bloom took a deep breath. She would be the better person. Instead of giving in and getting angry like Stella apparently wanted, she would be the better person. "Stella, I don't know what's wrong with you but you're being a real bitch" - Okay, so the mostly better person - "and I'm not going to stand here while you throw your little princess tantrum."

"Fine" Stella dismissed.

"Fine. I'm out of here." Bloom stormed off. She needed something to focus on that wasn't Stella's terrible attitude so she headed to the library to find out what she could about the woman from her dreams.

"Fine, go!" Stella shouted after her. It was only after Bloom had entered the building that Stella realised she'd gotten into an argument with Bloom. "Wait, what did I just say? What'd I do?" She asked, turning to face the three other girls, all of whom glared at her disapprovingly.

***

Bloom walked up to the desk where the middle aged woman sat. She wore her purple hair up in a poofy chignon and large round glasses, which Bloom had to admit worked very well on her slender face. "Excuse me; I need info about one of the nymphs on the front of town hall. Where do I look?"

"Why are you asking me when the library catalogue's over there?" Barbatea replied impatiently, not bothering to look up from the book in her hand.

"Oh" Bloom muttered. She headed over in the direction the librarian was pointing, wondering what the hell the point of having a librarian was if she wasn't going to be helpful.

She looked around, expecting to see a catalogue like the ones on Earth; a box with multiple drawers arranged by title, author or subject. This catalogue, however, looked more like a podium that one would give a lecture from. "That's a catalogue?" She'd actually walked past this several times in her time at Alfea and had never really understood its purpose.

She walked up to the podium. It was definitely very beautiful; the top part, which she'd only ever seen in rectangular fashions, was shaped like fairy wings and it appeared to be made of gold. "Keyword" an automated voice asked.

"Town hall" she said, waiting for some books to come to the podium. Nothing happened. Bloom looked around in confusion; was the catalogue broken?

"You need to use magic" a gentle voice said from the aisle nearby. "You're the Earth girl, right?" A fairy with waist length light blue hair and dark brown eyes popped out. Besides the hair and eye colour, she almost looked like Flora; same olive complexion and rosy cheeks, same small waist and larger chest, possibly even close to the same height.

"Um, yeah?"

"That's pretty cool. This must all be so strange to you."

"It is, but it's pretty awesome too."

The girl gave her a nod and a bright smile. "I'm Tatiana; senior, soon to be Fairy Godmother."

"Bloom; freshman, no idea beyond that." Tatiana chuckled lightly. Bloom liked her already - she had a kind face and gave off a positive vibe. "So... magic?"

"Yeah. Just say your keyword and infuse a little magic into the center."

"OK. Town hall" Bloom repeated, this time drawing some magic up into her fingertips and resting her hand on the podium. She waited a few seconds and this time a book came flying towards her, landing safely on the podium. "Wow, that's so cool! Thank you."

"Anytime" Tatiana replied with a huge smile before walking away to return to her studies.

Bloom opened the book excitedly, but it ended up being a collection of newsletters for the month of December; definitely not what she was looking for. She tried again, this time adding the word 'facade' to her search. Two more books came flying towards her, landing on the podium. "Hey, this is the book about the Great Dragon" she said to herself. "'The facade of Magix's Town Hall features nymph, Daphne.' Daphne! That's her!"

Bloom sighed contently; even if it was a small detail, she was happy to finally be getting some answers. She looked up briefly and was shocked to see dozens of books flying at and around her. Within seconds, the books were all flying around her at high speeds, effectively trapping her. "Stop it! Somebody help!"

Barbatea was enjoying her book - Maid in Leather, a steamy romance about a woman who takes a job as a maid and falls madly in love with the owner of the house, who introduces her to the world of BDSM. It wasn't a book appropriate for the girls of the school, so she always made sure to get the hardcover version and remove the book jackets of the half naked main characters. She had just gotten to the part where the owner of the house was tying up the new maid and preparing to bed her when a loud rattling noise caught her attention. "Huh?" she muttered, unhappily putting her book down. She followed the noise and was shocked the see that the locked gates were shaking and books were trying to break through it. "The restricted vault - the books are trying to come out. What's happening?!" The librarian looked around to see if any of the students in the library were up to something nefarious but there was no one around save for the redheaded fairy that was being encircled by books. "Bloom?"

"I was just getting the hang of the system; help me!"

Barbatea had no idea what to do. "Miss Faragonda" she cried as she made her way out of the library. Luckily, the headmistress' office was on the same floor so she wouldn't have to leave the books unsupervised for too long.

Bloom watched the librarian run off through the books; the woman was really truly useless. She couldn't even control books in the library that she ran. "Stop it!" Bloom begged the books. Nothing, obviously; books didn't have ears or reason. She needed a spell to stop them. "Book-us stop-us now-us, pretty-please-us" she said aloud. Again, nothing. She shook her head in disappointment; she really did suck at thinking up spells.

The books around her were picking up speed, creating a sort of book tornado. Bloom knew she was in trouble if she didn't get out of there soon. She didn't know exactly what would happen - maybe one of the books would fly out and hit her rendering her unconscious or maybe the tornado would take her away never to be heard from again. Just as she was about to try another made up spell, the books dropped to the ground. Bloom looked up in shock and was happy to see that Barbatea had been successful in locating Faragonda - at least she could do that.

"Something very powerful seems to be disturbing the order in here" the headmistress commented.

"Sorry!" Bloom cried, jumping into Faragonda's arms. She had no idea why she was sorry or why she had jumped into the unexpecting headmistresses arms. She just knew that she'd somehow been the one to cause this disaster and felt she should apologise.

"Oh! It's okay; it's not your fault" Faragonda reassured her.

Barbatea picked up one of the fallen books and looked at it in astonishment. "She couldn't have possibly asked for these books; they're some of our most obscure titles."

"No, she didn't. The books chose her." Faragonda pulled away from the young fairy and looked her in the eye. "Go back to your room, dear, and please don't mention this to anyone."

"Okay." Bloom nodded meekly. "Thank you."

***

Flora, Stella, Musa and Tecna had piled into Musa and Tecna's room to do their homework. Or, rather, Flora, Musa and Tecna were doing homework while Stella did everything but. While Musa was doing the assigned History reading, Tecna worked on her Potions essay and Flora did her Botany assignment, Stella had brushed her hair, filed her nails, touched up her makeup and then lay down on Musa's bed with her History book that she hadn't even bothered to open.

"Hey, Flora, you know what would look really cute on you?" Stella asked, sitting up and tossing her book onto the ground. "A fashion sense, my dear. Did you ever think of that?"

"That's not a very nice thing to say" Flora replied.

"Whatever, it's just constructive criticism. You don't need to get an attitude about it."

"Are you kidding? You're the one with the attitude."

"Stella, your 'tude's out of control" Musa pitched in. "Bloom was right; you're being a real bitch and it's super fucking annoying."

Stella rolled her eyes and sighed. "Don't diss me just 'cause you got dissed, girl."

Musa shot Stella a confused glance. "No, I didn't."

Stella chuckled. "You got so dissed by Riven; it's not only embarrassing, it's, like, tragic and pathetic."

Musa could feel the mix of anger and sadness start burning inside her. She wasn't going to give Stella the satisfaction of seeing her upset though. "Please! What's pathetic is you thinking you can come into my room and act like you're all that."

"Fret not" Stella said, sitting back on Musa's desk. "It's not like you're totally hopeless. Look at Tecna, she chooses clothes for their fireproof qualities, yet Timmy crushes on her."

Tecna up to now had only been half paying attention. Stella was being rude one way or another and Musa was getting annoyed; that was a regular occurrence in their dorm. Never in their Stella v. Musa squabbles had she ever really brought Tecna into it, though. "Hey" she shouted, turning her chair to stare at the blond. "I like my clothes!"

Stella rolled her eyes at Tecna. Of course she would like her clothes - the girl just didn't have a sense of style. "Musa, just get rid of those pigtails, acquire some better denim, and don't forget make-up; the right mascara can do absolute wonders, even get Riven to call you." As if to really push the dark haired fairies buttons, Stella got right up in her face and whispered his name seductively in her ear.

"So, who cares? I -"

Stella moved away from Musa's ear and retook her spot on the desk. "Of course, he might be with Darcy."

"That is enough!" Flora said in a surprisingly authoritative voice. It was annoying but she could tolerate Stella being rude and trash talking the way they dressed or how much they focused on their studies or the music they liked or what they talked about, but rubbing Musa's heartbreak in was crossing a line.

"Big deal" Stella dismissed. "Musa knows they're together."

Musa slammed her book down and stood up to look the sun fairy in the eye. "If you don't shut the fuck up, the next thing to come out of your mouth will be your teeth." (1)

Stella yelped in shock at Musa slamming the book down which resulted in the blond landing on the floor. She looked up at the furious musical fairy and smiled. "I'm just saying, darling. If you'd seen the way Riven was drooling over Darcy, you would not like him so much. He clearly thinks she's hotter than you."

Musa felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. She couldn't understand why Stella was being so cruel. Sure, she'd been a bitch all day and, sure, she'd never really approved of her crush on Riven, but did she really have to be like this? She was much too proud to let Stella see that she had succeeded in making Musa cry. "So what? I don't care what they do! I am over him!" she shouted as she ran out of the room before the tears overwhelmed her.

Stella sat up on the floor and looked at Flora and Tecna, who were both glaring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that? What did I say?"

"Stella" Flora scolded. "How could you say that to her?"

"What did I say?"

"You need to start thinking before you speak."

"Yes" Tecna agreed. "You have been insulting us all day and that is simply unacceptable."

"It's one thing to insult our clothes, but did you really have to make Musa so upset?"

"But what did I say?" Stella asked again.

"You rubbed Riven and Darcy in her face, Stella."

Stella's mouth opened in shock. "I did what?"

"I do not understand why you would say something like that."

"I didn't!"

"Stella, we heard you" Flora replied.

"But... I didn't say it; I would never do that." She felt awful. She'd never really approved of Riven, but if that's what Musa had wanted, she didn't want to stand in her way. And she may not always be the nicest person, but she knew better than to pick on her friends about them having their hearts broken. And she knew - deny it as Musa might - that Riven had really hurt her. Stella might seem airheaded and self-involved, but she paid more attention than people thought she did. And she'd seen the way Musa looked at Riven; the girl was completely head over heels for him.

"Well, you have been saying mean things to us since breakfast."

"Yeah..." Flora said, coming to a sudden realisation. "Ever since you disappeared for a few minutes; what were you doing?"

"I was giving helpful advice to a senior who didn't want it even if she desperately needed it."

"What are you thinking Flora?"

"Is it possible that the senior cast some sort of spell on her? Something to make her moody and rude?"

Tecna thought hard for a second. "A mood swing spell might do it? It is supposed to bring out your worst qualities at random intervals. I suppose in this case, Stella's worst qualities would be that she can be mean, careless and impatient."

"So what do we do? Do we just keep her locked in her room where she can't talk to anyone all night so she won't upset them?" Flora asked. She turned towards Stella to get her opinion - assuming she'd be helpful - and was shocked to see the blond had disappeared. "Where did she go?'

"To apologise to Musa, hopefully" Tecna said, turning back to her computer.

"Okay, but what if the spell acts up again once they're face to face?"

***

Bloom made her way down the stairs to the second floor. She was torn between anxiety about the books and excitement about finally learning Daphne's name. But she still couldn't figure out why the nymph was appearing in her dreams. Just as she turned the corner to their dorm's corridor, she saw Musa walking down the hall.

"Hey, what's up Musa? The weirdest thing just happened to me: I was in the library and I was trying to use the search engine thing and all of a sudden -" Bloom started, completely ignoring what Faragonda had said about not telling anyone. She was distracted when she saw that Musa was crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" Musa didn't answer as she walked past.

"Musa, are you okay?" Bloom shouted after her.

***

As soon as Flora mentioned the mood swing spell, Stella had run out of the room to chase down Musa. She had to apologise to her. She could blame the spell and go on with her life, but she knew she needed to make things right with Musa or she'd never forgive herself. Not to mention Musa may never wanted to talk to her again. They had their differences, but Stella really enjoyed her. Sure, she could dress better, but she was funny and energetic and smart. Frankly, Riven was a total moron if he thought Darcy was a better choice than her.

She ran down the hall, colliding with Bloom who was watching Musa walk down the stairs. Stella shook her head and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Bloom, are you alright?"

"I'm fine" Bloom replied shortly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you."

"What is wrong with you today?"

Stella, who had just gotten to her feet, reached her arm out to help Bloom up. "Flora figured out what's been happening; a senior cast a mood swing spell on me."

"Okay... and what does that do?"

"It brings out your worst qualities and for me, well, it makes me, like, way rude. I have to apologise to Musa!"

"Then go get her. She went down the stairs."

"I have to tell her I didn't mean it! I got spelled!" Stella cried, running past Bloom.

Bloom could hear Stella shouting 'I got spelled' over and over again as she ran out of sight. She was about to turn around and continue on to the dorm when she realised that Stella, who was under a spell that made her a total bitch, was about to be alone with Musa, whom she'd just upset to the point of crying. They couldn't talk alone and since she was the only one that was aware of Stella's intention to talk to Musa, she would have to be the one to go play mediator in case Stella said something that sent Musa into a fit of rage.

Bloom caught up to Stella sitting at the bus stop in front of the school, looking dejected. "What happened?"

"She got on the bus. What time is it?"

"6, why?"

"Shit! That was the last bus of the day leaving Alfea."

"She looked really upset. What did you say to her?"

"I may have rubbed in the fact that Riven and Darcy are a thing now..."

Bloom gasped. "You did not."

"I did... I know; I'm the worst."

"Well, you were under a spell so it's not entirely your fault" Bloom reasoned, leading the blonde back into the school.

"I guess... I have to warn you the spell could come back."

"How long does this thing last?"

"I have no idea, but hopefully not much longer" Stella took a deep breath and turned towards the redhead. "I'm sorry for whatever I said earlier that made you storm off."

"You don't remember?" Bloom asked skeptically.

"No. The only reason I know what I said to Musa is because Flora and Tecna told me."

"Oh wow..."

"By the way, what did you do to your hair? Brush it with an egg beater?"

***

Musa got off the bus at a random stop. She didn't actually know where she was; just that she was in Downtown Magix. She honestly couldn't care less where she ended up as long as she got far away from Stella and any mention of Riven, or worse, Riven and Darcy. She went wherever her feet took her, not really paying attention to her surroundings.

It had been a week since the Day of the Rose and she still hurt knowing that he'd picked that witch over her. So yes, she was hurt but she was over him. She had to be. It was just that she had been so certain that her feelings were reciprocated. He had shown that he felt some affection towards her just a few hours before getting with Darcy - it had been right there in his eyes; in those gorgeous violet eyes. Gods, how she loved his eyes. Not that it mattered anymore.

Cecilia had always teased her that she had horrible taste in men. Sure, she'd had a few missteps: Tyler, her fifth grade crush that ended up being a complete jerk; Jonah, her seventh grade crush that had hit Cecilia after she'd called him out for cheating in a game of baseball; Paul, her eighth grade crush who'd ended up being a complete sexist pig; and Micah, the fuckwad of an ex that she'd wasted two years on. But they hadn't all been bad: Sean, her seventh grade crush pre-Jonah had been sweet, but he wasn't into her; Jace, her ninth grade crush was also a great guy, he just also wasn't into her - or women in general, though he'd only come out at the end of high school. And, honestly, Micah had been great up until the last six months of their relationship. It just so happened that Riven was definitely in the category of missteps. Her taste in women was a bit better - at least by Cecilia's standards. Though they didn't have the same type - Cecilia preferred blonde's that lived up to their stereotype, Musa preferred them to be able to hold a moderately interesting conversation - Cecilia would approve of the girls she flirted with for the most part. Though Musa's attraction to women was mostly physical; she'd only ever had two female crushes. There was Jeannie in sixth grade - though Musa had only realised that had been a crush a few years later - and Laura in eighth.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled her out of her thoughts. A coffee sounded great - second only to a joint, but she hated smoking alone - so she headed in the direction of the rich coffee scent. She came to a shop front with giant blue lettering that read: Jazz & Java Junction. Sounds promising, she thought. She walked into the cafe and was delighted to see rows of records lining the back portion of the shop. Maybe something good would come of today, after all.

She made her to the counter, where a small woman with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair stood. Musa ordered her standard coffee - two sugars, one cream - and inquired as to whether the records were for sale.

"Course they're for sale, hun. We're a music cafe - we sell music and we showcase it too." The woman, whose name was Delilah according to her name tag, said in sweet voice that reminded Musa of Flora's. "In fact, you're lucky to be here today - we've got a wonderful duo coming to play in about 20 minutes."

"Great!" Musa replied, feeling a smile form. This was just what she needed to cheer herself up; coffee, records and some live music. She would browse through the records until the duo started, and then maybe she'd order some food while she watched the show, then she'd head back to Alfea where hopefully Stella was done being a bitch.

***

"Where did you go?" Flora asked when Stella and Bloom had made their way back to the dorm.

"I tried to apologise to Musa."

"And let me guess? You said something insulting instead?" Tecna replied.

"No." Stella crossed her arms in a huff. "She got on the Downtown bus before I could get to her."

A look of concern flashed across Flora's face, though Bloom seemed to be the only one to notice. Tecna, though likely equally concerned, was too busy being annoyed at Stella. "It's fine. She probably just needs some time. I'm sure she'll be back in an hour or two."

"Bloom is probably right - we should just keep studying."

"Studying? Ugh. How did I end up with such boring dorks as dorm mates?"

***

It had been two hours since Musa had run out of the room and she still wasn't back. The girls - even Stella when she wasn't affected by the spell - were becoming increasingly worried.

"Maybe we should try calling her?" Flora suggested.

"Good idea, Flora. I will call her." Tecna pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Musa's phone number. The other three waited with bated breath as the phone began to ring. Hopefully Musa would answer. Their hopes were quickly dashed when they heard the final verse of Marina and the Diamonds' 'I am not a robot' - Musa's chosen ringtone for Tecna - play from inside Musa's school bag, which rested by her bed. "Or not - she must have run out without her phone. The poor girl is probably freaking out."

"Tecna, not everyone is as attached to their phones as you are. And, hey, maybe if you spent some time away from it, you'd develop some other characteristics - like a fashion sense or a personality."

"Maybe we should go get her?"

"That's a great idea, Bloom." Flora said, perking up.

"Two small problems" Tecna pointed out. "One: there are no more buses going Downtown. Two: even if there were, we have no idea which stop Musa got off at." The girls looked at each other dejectedly, uncertain of what to do next. Were they just supposed to wait for Musa to come back? What if she was hurt or she'd done something impulsive and stupid?

"I guess we just wait" Flora said softly.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Bloom cried triumphantly. "Let's call the boys."

"Yes!" Stella shouted enthusiastically.

"I don't see how they can help us."

"How can't they help us, Flora? They're tall, handsome and incredibly strong" Stella gushed.

"All true" Bloom said. "But I'm actually suggesting asking them to give us a ride Downtown in the ship."

"Plus from the air, we have a better chance of spotting Musa; excellent plan, Bloom."

Bloom thanked Tecna and pulled out her phone to call Brandon. He answered on the second ring and told her he'd round up the guys and they'd be there in a few minutes.

***

Musa was disappointed that she hadn't found any records of interest, but at least there was still a show to watch. She sat at a table with the sandwich she'd just ordered and a bottle of lemonade; another coffee would mean she wouldn't sleep.

"Welcome to the Jazz & Java cafe, you beautiful people." A sultry voice said. Musa looked up to see a young woman with long brown hair and a dark purple jumpsuit standing on the small stage at the front of the cafe. "It's now five to eight. I just wanted to give you all a chance to get any last minute drinks or find a seat before my love and I welcome you into our world for the next hour."

Five to eight? Wow, she really had to get back to Alfea as soon as the show ended. She'd realised when she got her coffee that she'd forgotten her phone and since she didn't know anyone's number by heart, she had no way of contacting her friends. Lucky for her, she always carried some cash in her pocket just in case so she'd still been able to get her food and drinks.

The patrons slowly took their seats. Musa ate her sandwich quietly while she listened to the two girls at the table next to her go on about this act. Apparently, one of them had caught their last show at the cafe a few weeks back and had really enjoyed it. Though she joked it was because the male half of the act was hot.

The sultry-voiced brunette sat at the piano on the stage and leaned into her microphone. "Alright, my lights; we're ready for you." A man with dark, chin-length slicked back hair sat on the stool beside her and smiled at the woman. He rested his guitar on his lap and strummed a few notes.

"We'll be sharing our souls with you tonight and we hope you accept it with open arms and a glowing heart." Musa shoved the sandwich in her mouth to stop herself laughing. Gods these two were corny.

"My darling Ritchie and I have a wonderful piece of information to share with you before we sing."

"Yes; Darlene and I have decided to pledge our souls to one another in a unification ceremony next summer." The audience applauded them enthusiastically. Musa could only roll her eyes - they were beyond corny. Hell, they were downright pretentious. She could forgive that if they were good, though.

"That's why, we've decided to dedicate tonight to lovers everywhere" he continued. Musa groaned quietly, annoyed that tonight was the night that they'd chosen to dedicate to 'lovers'. "We'll be starting with a mash-up of two of our favourites - Shania Twain's 'From this moment' and 'You're still the one'. But don't worry, my sweets, we'll be doing originals too."

_From this moment  
Life has began  
From this moment  
You are the one  
Right beside you  
Is where I belong  
From this moment on_

The girl had a beautiful voice, Musa had to admit. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around for an entire hour of love songs. She loved them usually, but right now she wasn't in the mindset for them. She'd have to decide which was stronger; her love of music or the heartbreak Riven had caused.

_Looks like we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby  
It might've took a long way  
We knew we'd get there someday  
They said I bet they'll never make it  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong_

He was a great singer too. Fuck, she thought, maybe she wanted to stick around for this. Maybe she would be able to go through the hour without thinking of Riven if she just focused on the music. Yeah, that was it; she'd be fine. Just focus on the music.

_I give my hand to you with all my heart  
I can't wait to live my life with you  
Can't wait to start  
You and I will never be apart  
My dreams came true because of you_

_From this moment  
I have been blessed  
I live only for your happiness and for your love  
I'd give my last breath_

_But just look at us holding on  
We're still together_

_From this moment on_

Musa finished the rest of her sandwich and sat back, intent on enjoying the rest of the show. She sighed contently; they were really phenomenal singers and the quietness of the guitar and piano duo was exactly what she needed, even if the lyrics weren't.

_You're still the one  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life (you're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss goodnight_

The man looked out at the audience and made eye contact with Musa. Her breath caught in her throat when he did and she felt like she was going to puke. There, looking right at her, on the face of the man singing a beautiful love song, were striking violet eyes.

_And you're the reason I believe in love  
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above  
All we need is just the two of us  
My dreams came true because of you_

She needed to get out of here. The love songs were one thing but she'd never be able to get past those eyes. She pushed her chair out and ran for the cafe door, ignoring protests from the patrons who were trying to enjoy the show.

_So glad we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby_

_I will love you_  
As long as I live  
From this moment on (2) 

She rested her back against the front of the building and slid herself to the ground, unable to think cohesively. Violet eyes were the only thing going through her mind. She so very much wished they were the singers, but, of course, they weren't; they were Riven's. Those eyes - along with his laugh and occasionally his body, and what she imagined was under that tight Red Fountain uniform - had invaded her dreams and up 'til now, she had welcomed them. Now, they would be her undoing.

How could he pick Darcy? What did she have that Musa didn't? Sure, she was probably more experienced when it came to sex; Musa was still a virgin, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to use her mouth and hands effectively. Darcy was powerful, true, but she also had more schooling than Musa. By the time that she was a senior at Alfea, she'd be just as strong. Musa was obviously more pleasant to be around, but Darcy was more attractive than her. Clearly, Riven wanted someone that was more feminine, with sharp cheekbones and large breasts - all things Musa did not possess.

She felt the tears pool at her eyes once again. What was wrong with her? When she and Micah had broken up, she hadn't cried much; so why was she crying so much over Riven's dumb ass?

"Sweetheart, is everything okay?" A voice Musa clearly identified as Delilah's asked.

Musa took a deep breath, willing her voice to remain clear, before she spoke. "Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice cracked on the 'fine'. She hoped Delilah hadn't noticed, but she pushed herself to her feet and walked away just in case she had. She really didn't want to talk about him right now.

She kept walking, once again not paying attention to her surroundings. She'd almost gotten hit by a car, but even that hadn't managed to rouse her from her trance. It was only when she heard a voice that she'd recognise anywhere that her mind cleared. He was here.

She stopped walking and focused all her attention on hearing where he was. If he was alone, she had full intention of tearing him to shreds - verbally, and maybe physically too. But those intentions were tossed aside when she heard Darcy's voice. "Riven, you are so hot."

They were in the Rusty Cauldron Tavern. Fuck - that meant she was in witch territory. Musa knew she had to get out of there, but her curiosity got the better of her. She made her way up to the window and peered in. In the back corner sat Riven with Darcy on his lap. The witch eyed him hungrily and Musa felt her blood start to boil. She was through with the self pity; her anger had started to take the better part of her and it tended to be overwhelming.

"Oh that bitch" she muttered to herself as she watched Darcy run her nails up and down Riven's arm. Musa focused her hearing on them, curious as to what they were talking about.

"Babe," she said seductively before giving a flirtatious giggle. "I can call you babe, can't I? Because, I mean, you are the hottest guy at Red Fountain."

"Oh?" Riven replied, his tone filled with intrigue. "Tell me more."

Musa knew Riven tended to be a bit egotistical, but there was no way he was buying this shit. And yet, there he was: falling over her every word. If Musa had known that flattering him was all it took, she'd have done that months ago - or probably not. She didn't want a guy that she had to suck up to; she wanted someone that she could tease and have fun with.

"You're smoking hot" Darcy moved to the seat in front of Riven, effectively hiding her face from Musa. Riven's face, however, was still perfectly visible. "You've got brains and so much potential; you're incredibly talented and your talents shouldn't be wasted like they are at that pathetic excuse for a school. With me by your side, you'll get the fame and recognition that you deserve."

"Go on."

"Well there's no formal arrangement, sexy. All you have to do is agree that you'll be mine and just like that you will belong to me."

Riven's eyes narrowed at Darcy's words and Musa felt a glimmer of hope. She wouldn't claim to know him best – there was still a lot about him that was a complete mystery to her – but she knew him well enough to know that he was far too independent to belong to anyone. "Hey – hold on a minute."

"Look at me, Riven." Darcy grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "You're mine."

"I'm yours."

What?!

Musa wasn't sure what to feel or think anymore. She was this jumbled mess of anger, confusion and sadness; it felt like she'd just had her heart ripped out and stomped on right in front of her. She already knew Darcy and Riven were seeing each other, but knowing and witnessing were two very different things.

"No wonder it reeks of loser; look who's here" a cold voice said behind her.

"Why, it's the one with the pigtails" Stormy said, leaning against the window beside Musa.

"Fuck off, permhead." Musa spat, turning to leave like she should have done in the first place. "Go back to your –"

"Not so fast." Icy rested her hand against the window, blocking Musa's way. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to civilization." Musa pushed her way past Icy's arm. She needed to get out of here before one of two things happened: Icy and Stormy tried to kill her or the tears that she was holding back bubbled over.

Icy, of course, had no intention of letting her get away that easily. "No you're not" she said, grabbing Musa's wrist. "Not until you explain what you're doing on _our territory_."

Musa pulled her wrist out of Icy's grip and shot her a glare. "Screw off, witch; I can go wherever I want." She turned to leave again, but was promptly blocked by Stormy.

"That's fucking hilarious. You stupid pixies should know that you don't come onto Cloud Tower turf. And if you do, you _don't_ get to leave."

"At least not in one piece" Icy added with a bone chilling laugh.

"I am not in the mood for this right now; I swear you crazy bitches don't want to get into it with me" Musa said, hoping she sounded much more confident than she felt. She was certain she could take one of them at any time, and when she had her head right, she could probably take them both, but right now she was such a mess that she really didn't know.

"I'm going to give you one more chance, pixie. Tell me what you're doing on Cloud Tower territory. If I deem your reason worthy, I might just let you go" Icy said earning a confused glance from Stormy.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Musa was smart enough to know that 'I wandered here by accident' wasn't going to pass.

"No, you don't" Icy said smugly. "I already know what you were doing. You were spying on Darcy and Riven."

"No, I wasn't."

Yes, she was.

"You've got a crush on him, don't you?"

"What?"

Was she really that obvious?

Icy looked her in the eye. Musa would've looked away from her cold blue stare, but she didn't want to show any sign of weakness. "You should know that he told us that he thinks you're pathetic and desperate."

Musa felt her heart seize. Riven wouldn't say that; would he? No. No. He wouldn't.

"And I'm starting to see why. What? Did you think following him here would make him give a fuck about you?"

Musa's temper started to flare. Icy was really getting on her nerves. She would love to give her a good slap and wipe off the smug look from that stupid, arrogant face of hers. And somehow, before she could register what was happening, she had done it. She had smacked Icy right across the face. Hard. The sound resonated and lingered in the air for a few seconds.

"Whoa, she got you good" Stormy said, getting closer to inspect the red hand print Musa had left on Icy's pale face.

Icy breathed deeply. She was seething. "You're gonna pay for that."

"I told you you didn't want to get into it with me, Icy."

Icy turned to a witch that was coming out of the tavern. "Hey you." The girl looked at Icy uncertainly. "Yeah, you. Get the rest of the witches; we've got a little pixie that needs to be taught a lesson."

"What's wrong, Icy? You need backup to fight me?" Musa knew she was doomed and that she should run but for some reason her mouth just kept going. She'd always joked that her attitude was going to be the death of her one day and apparently that day had come.

"Oh, I don't want to fight you sweetie" Icy said in a terrifyingly sweet voice. Musa understood the message loud and clear: this wasn't going to be a fight; it was going to be a beat down.

***

"Flora, do you own anything more 21st century?"

Flora shook her head, clearly annoyed. They'd managed to more or less ignore Stella's comments since figuring out why she was making them, but the constant digs at Flora's wardrobe was starting to get to her.

"Never mind" Stella dismissed. "Listen, when the boys get here: play it cool, like we only called them because we needed a ride."

"But that is why we called them" Flora reminded her, happy to have the subject changed.

"Whatever Flora" Stella snapped back. "Just... be cool."

An engine roared above them and the ship began its descent. Once the large red craft had landed, the hatch opened up and three boys exited.

"Sky!" Stella shrieked.

Flora giggled. So much for being 'cool'. Tecna, however, only rolled her eyes. "Yes, we all saw him, we all know his name, no need to yell"

"Hey princess" the brunet said, the huge dopey grin on his face betraying the suaveness of his voice.

"H-Hey Tecna" Timmy managed to stutter out. Gods, he really wished he could be as smooth as Sky was with women or as charming as Brandon was. Hell, he'd even take as attractive as Riven was so that he could pull attention the same way - not that Riven ever gave any of those girls a second glance. But he just wasn't.

"Hi Timmy" Tecna replied, hoping she wasn't blushing too much. He wasn't the most traditionally handsome guy, and he definitely wasn't cool and collected like Sky, but there was something about him that made her brain short-circuit.

"Hey there" Brandon said to the girls – mostly Bloom – jovially. "So, is everything okay? You sounded pretty upset when you called."

"Yeah..." Bloom replied dreamily. It wasn't her fault – those bright blue eyes of his just did something to her. Bloom shook her head – now wasn't the time to be flirting. "Everything's fine we just have to go find Musa."

"She's downtown somewhere" Flora added.

"Alone?" Sky asked, panic apparent in his voice. Panic which didn't go unnoticed by Stella.

"Have you tried calling her?" Brandon reasoned.

"She doesn't have her phone with her – it's in her room" Flora explained. "And she left two hours ago after St -"

"Yeah, she's been gone for most of the evening" Stella affirmed, cutting off Flora. She didn't want Sky being mad at her that she'd been the one to upset Musa that much, even if it wasn't exactly her fault. "We thought she might come back but she hasn't and we're getting worried."

"Well, Magix is a big city but we should have an easier time finding her from the air" Brandon said, motioning for the girls to follow him onto the ship. "What do you think Timmy? You're the one that knows the city best."

"I know the city well too" Stella offered, wanting to impress Sky with how helpful she could be.

Tecna rolled her eyes. "You know the shopping district well – not the entire city. Timmy is from Magix; he is much better suited to this than you."

Stella scoffed in reply. When had Tecna gotten so snarky? This had to be Musa's influence. And, sure, Tecna was technically correct in her observation that Stella knew the shopping district best but that didn't mean she couldn't be helpful.

"We should start with areas we wouldn't want her to be in" Timmy suggested, taking his seat at the front of the ship. "Places she might need help in like Franklinton that's littered with drug addicts and gangs or the Sabbat District -

"Isn't the Sabbat District Cloud Tower territory?" Bloom interrupted.

"Yes."

"We should start there" Tecna said. "Musa can probably handle a few thugs but witches, not so much."

Everyone agreed and the boys quickly took off. "We can finally use the tracking software in this thing" Timmy announced, a little more excited than he should've been.

"Tracking software?" Flora questioned.

"Yeah - it's built into the ship for search and rescue missions" Timmy explained. "All I have to do is input a description of the person were searching for and the system will zero in on anyone that matches it."

"Oh Timothy" Stella said, "why don't you drop the techno mumbo jumbo and develop some real interests, then maybe you'll be able to get a girl."

"Ignore her, Timmy" Flora said sweetly. "She's under a mood swing spell and it's making her rude."

Timmy turned to one of the ships many screens, attempting to ignore Stella's comment – though maybe she was right. "This tells us the position of people and other ships in regards to us. But see this little button right here" he said, pointing to a button just off to the left. "If I press it, a smaller window pops up on this screen and I can put in the description of what I want to find." He opened the secondary window and started typing in keywords for Musa's search. "Now, once we get to Cloud Tower's territory, we should be able to find her if she's there."

"Speaking of Cloud Tower and witches" Bloom said apprehensively. "Where's Riven?"

The boys let out a collective sigh. "He, uh, requested a team and dorm transfer after the Day of the Rose" Brandon finally said.

"It kinda sucks" Sky added. "He was a total jackass sometimes -"

"Usually" Timmy interrupted.

Sky laughed in agreement before continuing. "But he was actually a good teammate most of the time."

"Well, it might be better that way – at least for Musa" Bloom sighed.

***

Musa had started running the second Icy had finished talking – she wasn't dumb enough to stick around this time. There had to be about ten or twelve witches after her, yet Icy and Stormy were nowhere to be seen. Or, at least, nowhere that Musa could see them.

"I hear she likes to dance" one of the witches at the front of the group shouted, "so let's make her dance."

Musa could feel the bursts of energy hitting her heels. She was a good twenty feet in front of them, but she really needed to figure out how to get away from them. No matter how good her cardio was, she couldn't keep running forever. She turned up a side street and was shocked to find herself face to face with the very reason she was in this mess. "Riven" she said dumbly before remembering that a group of witches was after her. "You have to help me."

Riven looked her straight in the eye and she immediately knew something was off. Those gorgeous purple eyes that usually held a whole world of emotion and sparkled like gems – those eyes she loved so much – were flat; glassed over. "Why the fuck should I do that?" he asked darkly, "I'm with Darcy now."

Musa mentally slapped herself – she had seen their exchange in the tavern, why did she think he would help her? She glared at him, hoping to convey her hatred for him – for leading her on, for choosing Darcy over her but mostly for not doing something he was sworn to do: helping someone in need. "You're a jerk" she said, pushing past him.

She saw the light at the end of the tunnel: an alley. She could run through it and hopefully by the time the witches had reached it, she'd be out of sight. Musa turned into the alley and ran as fast as she could. Her hopes of escape started to crumble when she came to a dead end.

"Fuck" she sighed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay, breathe Musa. There's a way out of this. I need... fuck. I need... oh, an invisibility spell!"

"Too late" Icy's unmistakably chilly voice said. Musa turned around and felt her heart drop at the gaggle of witches at the entrance of the alley. "No spell can help you now. It's like they say on the last page of every fairy tale: the end! I'm afraid there'll be no happily ever after for you."

Musa took a deep breath. If she was going to be destroyed – or murdered – at the hands of these witches, she wasn't going down without giving it her all. She prepared herself to transform into her Winx form and use her full power but before she'd had the chance, the brick wall that blocked off the rest of the alley was blown to bits. Musa covered her head to protect herself from flying debris. Dying at the hands of the witches was one thing – she wasn't dying from a damn wall.

"What the fuck is that?" she heard Stormy shout. The next thing she heard would become her favourite sound of likely her entire life: it was Bloom screaming her name. She looked towards Bloom's voice and relief coursed through her. She'd never been so happy to see her friends, even Stella. Musa quickly ran over to them and jumped into Bloom's waiting arms – for some reason she had the feeling that Bloom was the reason they'd found her.

"Who invited you dorks? This event is RSVP only."

"RSVP this!" Bloom muttered angrily, flipping Icy off.

"Icy, dahling, I get invited to all the events" Stella said haughtily.

"Brandon!" a deep voice growled from the back of the witches. The fairies and heroes, save for Musa who was not the least surprised after her brief encounter with the specialist, all watched in shock as Riven pushed his way to the front of the group.

"You're hanging out with this crowd now?" Brandon asked, not quite being able to wrap his head around it.

"Yeah! This 'crowd' is much more happening than you could ever hope to be. They're true friends" Riven replied, pulling up the hilt of his phantoblade and extending his saber.

"You've lost your mind" Brandon spat, pulling out his own phantoblade. "And now you're going to lose this fight." The blond charged at Riven, anger evident on his face. Their blades clashed several times before any of the girls, fairy or witch, realised that they'd essentially started the fight.

"We'll take care of the fairies. Come on, ladies!" shouted an excited witch with spiky blue hair, urging her classmates forward. The witches followed her lead and ran towards the fairies, the thought of ripping their sparkly wings off intoxicating them. Their sprint towards the fairies was cut off by the ground before them splitting in half. (3) Sky had seen them start to run towards the fairies and decided that was the time to spring into action.

Icy who, along with Stormy, hadn't ran towards the fairies let out a menacing growl. "This is really starting to piss me off." The air around her quickly started to drop in temperature. Icicles started forming on various surfaces and the breath of all the party members could be seen with each exhale.

"Icy, it's fucking c-cold" a redheaded witch stuttered.

"I'm with you, Icy!" Stormy growled, conjuring up to lightning bolts that shot out of her hands and formed into a storm cloud that now hovered above them

"Hey, girls" Bloom said, "I'd say it's Winx time." The others nodded in agreement and quickly transformed into their fairy forms. They fluttered their wings and took to the skies to gain the upper hand.

"You know, I find this whole thing shocking" Stormy announced with a maniacal laugh. Before any of the girls or specialists had time to react, Tecna was being struck by the witch's lightning attack. The fairy of technology swayed on the spot a little before plummeting to the ground.

Timmy, who had been standing by the ship, waiting for one of the witches to make a move felt his heart stop when Tecna was hit. He ran to her, hoping to catch her but he was too slow and her descent was too fast. He was at her side a few seconds after she'd hit the ground. Acting quickly, he felt for a pulse – good – and inspected her for any physical damage. There was a small scar on her back where she'd been hit but nothing that would leave any damage. He breathed a sigh of relief and announced that she would be okay for any of the fairies or specialists that were listening.

Icy sent shards of ice flying at Stella. The fairy let out a small yelp and ducked for cover behind a nearby car. Icy, unhappy with Stella's evasion of her attack, cast a spell on the car causing it to go up in flames. Stella screamed. Icy throwing ice at her she had been expecting – maybe not at that immediate moment, but she knew it would happen sooner or later. An exploding car, though, that was something knew.

Musa heard Stella's scream and immediately spun around looking for the distressed blonde. Stella might be a bitch and unnecessarily dramatic at times, but she wasn't dumb – well, that dumb; she knew better than to scream bloody murder in the middle of a fight if she wasn't actually in danger. Musa spotted Stella trapped between a wall and a burning ball of metal. She wasn't getting out so Musa flew off in her direction to get her out.

She was almost at the ball of flame when Darcy finally decided to grace them with her presence by placing herself between Musa and the car. Musa stopped abruptly, not having expected the witch to appear. Darcy shot two blasts at her, which Musa successfully dodged. Then, just as fast as she'd appeared, she was gone. Musa stared at the spot Darcy had been in confusion. Where did she go? She shook her head; that didn't matter - she had to get to Stella.

She was about to start flying when she felt a sharp pain in her side. She'd been hit. The blow sent her flying, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. A pain shot through her back from the impact and she let out a low groan. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked around to see who had attacked her. In a not at all surprising twist of events, she found herself looking up at Darcy. Only, next to Darcy was also Darcy. And next to that Darcy was another Darcy. Musa looked around in horror and realised she was surrounded by eight Darcys. How was that possible?

Sky, who stood back and waited, ready to assist any of his friends when necessary, looked around. Brandon continued to fight Riven, neither of them willing to give up their petty rivalry. Timmy monitored Tecna, who still lay unconscious on the ground. Bloom and Flora were throwing attacks at the witches, including Stormy, while simultaneously avoiding their attacks. Icy for some reason just stood back and watched. Musa and Stella were… fuck, where were Musa and Stella? A high pitched shriek caught his attention – he would know that voice anywhere. It was Stella and it was coming from behind a wall of flames – what? Had he missed something? Sky leapt into action and ran towards the fire. He was halfway there when he spotted Musa. Or rather, he spotted her hair since she was entirely surrounded by Darcy – multiple Darcys. He quickly looked back to where Stella was – she would have to wait. Musa, in his opinion, was in more immediate danger.

"I got you Musa" he shouted, pulling out his boomerang. He quietly cheered it on as he watched it hit the Darcy illusions and knock the real Darcy to the ground. His celebratory mood was quickly ruined when the witches, who'd stopped fighting Bloom and Flora, announced their presence behind him. He turned to fight them off but his reaction wasn't fast enough – something Riven had pointed out to him multiple times – and he was quickly knocked back by one of the witches. Sky skidded along the alley, finally coming to a stop next to Musa. "Ugh. I'm okay" he announced weakly.

"Good assist. Thanks."

Sky nodded as much as he could in response to Musa before finally managing the words 'go get Stella'. He would go himself but he needed a minute. Plus he wanted to be behind Musa in case anyone tried to harm her. The musical fairy got off the ground and flew off towards Stella.

The other witches had gone off leaving Stormy as Bloom and Flora's only opponent. That was good, Bloom thought. Now they had better chances of beating her. A loud thump below her caught Bloom's attention. She looked down and her heart sank when she saw that Riven had knocked Brandon off his feet.

A crackling sound brought her attention back to Stormy before her and she just barely managed to jump out of the way of the witch's attack. What she hadn't realised, however, was that Flora had also been distracted by Brandon's fall and hadn't heard Stormy's attack. Flora was struck in the chest and thrown backwards; she hit a wall and slid down to the ground.

"Flora! are you okay?" Bloom shouted. Flora weakly replied that she would be fine so Bloom focused her attention on the gloating witch. She conjured up a hot, glowing red and yellow orb, and threw it at Stormy. The witch dodged her attack, retaliating with more lightning bolts which Bloom successfully evaded. Once again, Bloom conjured up a glowing orb and shot back. This time, she succeeded in catching Stormy's thigh, setting her skirt on fire.

"You little bitch! This is my favourite dress" Stormy shouted, quickly patting out the small flames. The air around the witch began to crackle and small bursts of lightning shot out of her in multiple directions. She started moving her hands before her in a circular motion and soon winds as powerful as a hurricane were sending Bloom flying through the air.

Timmy sat by Tecna's side, watching over her unconscious body. He didn't want to leave her vulnerable to any other attacks; who knew how vicious those witches could be or how far they'd be willing to go. "You're gonna be alright" he whispered to her over and over – she had to be. He'd never even gotten to tell her how he felt and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

"Sorry dweeb, I don't think she is" Icy cackled. The ground around them started to freeze and Timmy watched in horror as Tecna's legs became encased in ice. It moved slowly up her body and eventually, it made its way to his. He felt the cold on his feet and shins, but still he refused to leave Tecna's side. "I call this 'geek a la mode'."

Musa pulled at Stella's shoulders. Somehow, she'd gotten stuck between the car and the wall in such a way that she couldn't move much. She'd managed to wiggle her way out a little bit, but getting her entire body out without assistance would take her the better part of an hour. Eventually, Musa managed to get her out and help her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sore and in desperate need of a massage, but I'll be fine" Stella responded, stretching herself out. "Thanks for the save. You rock." And Stella fully meant it. She was a stubborn enough person, but she wasn't entirely certain she had enough will power to wiggle herself all the way out. She especially wasn't certain that the flames wouldn't make their way to her side of the car during the time she was escaping.

"You got it."

"Let's go" Stella said, flying off to help whichever of the girls needed it. Musa moved to follow but was blocked by, once again, none other than Darcy. "Oh, for fuck's sake" she muttered. Gods, that bitch must really have it out for her.

"This is a fun game, it's called crash-test fairy" Darcy giggled. It took most of Musa's self-control not to hurl at the sound of her giggle; it was just so unnatural. Her disgust soon turned to fear when she realised that Darcy had manipulated a few cars around them and that those cars were now surrounding her, at ground level and in the air. "Oh shit" she gulped. The cars started to spin around her, it reminded her a little of the spinning teacups at the fairs she used to go to as a child – she hated those teacups.

She had to get out of there otherwise she probably would hurl – the spinning was making her dizzy and nauseated. She flew up – there were less cars in the air so she figured she had a better chance there – and aimed for a spot between two cars. Unfortunately, she'd miscalculated and flew into a car. The impact forced her back right into a second car, knocking her unconscious.

"B-b-back off, Icy" Timmy stuttered. The ice had made its way around his calves and was now slowly climbing up his thighs; Tecna was covered up to her hips and the ice was starting to cover her fingers. Timmy knew he couldn't break out of the ice and his laser gun was just out of reach – something Codatorta would not be happy with if it ever got back to him.

"What's that? You want more? Here's a double scoop" Icy said, conjuring up a whirlwind of ice aimed right at Timmy and Tecna. Of course, Timmy thought bitterly, the one time he tried to tell someone off it backfired on him.

"I don't freaking think so!" he heard Stella shout. The blond landed in front of him, pulling up a shield to deflect Icy's attacks – Timmy had literally never been so happy to see her before. "They may be boring, poorly dressed nerds, but they're my boring, poorly dressed nerds and I won't let you hurt them." Okay, he was still happy to see her, but the commentary wasn't really necessary.

"Fine, triple scoop" Icy said, rolling her eyes and intensifying her power. Stella braced herself in response; she couldn't let her shield drop.

Bloom had managed to fly back up, once again facing Stormy. She was preparing to attack when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Darcy preparing to pile cars onto Musa's unconscious body. "Shit. Musa!" she cried, turning around to stop Darcy.

She was halfway to Musa when Stormy flew in front of her, blocking her path. "Move!" Bloom shouted, glaring at the witch. She could feel her anger rising in her and, while she would normally try to calm it, it was the only thing that might get her to Musa's side. Stormy, though, stood her ground, refusing to move out of Bloom's path.

Bloom decided she didn't have time for this – Musa was seconds away from being crushed – so she attempted to fly around Stormy, but once again, the witch blocked her. "You can't help your friend" she taunted. "She's finished."

"No, she isn't" Bloom cried. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way!" She balled her fists, intending to get physical with Stormy if she had to; the rage that had started to rise in her was reaching its peak and she was ready to rip anyone to shreds to get to Musa. Flames erupted around her fists, matching the ones that burned in her eyes. Soon, her entire body was burning and she could feel her power surging like it had that fateful day in Gardenia.

Stella didn't lower her shield even after Icy's attack had stopped; she couldn't trust that it wouldn't start up again or that she'd be quick enough to stop any of it from hitting them. She did, however, turn her head to see what had gotten the witch's attention enough to stop. A smile formed on her lips when she caught sight of Bloom – she'd said it in Gardenia and she would say it again now, that girl had major Winx.

Sky, who had been fighting the witches, heard Bloom shout Musa's name and noticed in horror that his friend was about to meet her demise. He'd tried to get over to her, but the witches he was fighting were intent on not letting him get to her. Then, something distracted the witches, including Darcy, so he took the opportunity to slide in and pull the musical fairy out.

Musa came to in Sky's arms, looking up at a huge pile of cars. "What the fuck?" she whispered, panic evident in her voice. Sky chuckled lightly before assuring her that she wasn't about to be crushed – anymore. He put her down as soon as they were relatively safe and began assessing her to make sure she wasn't injured.

"Is Bloom glowing?" Musa asked, shielding her eyes. Sky, who had his back to Bloom, looked at her in confusion – had she suffered head trauma? "I'm not crazy, dude. Look." Sky looked up and, sure enough, Bloom was glowing. Man, was he happy he'd fallen for Stella and not Bloom; she could probably do some serious damage if you pissed her off.

Bloom let out a deafening roar and a huge wave of power, light and heat exploded around her. The intensity of the blast was particularly dangerous to anyone that was not on the ground – Icy, Darcy and Stormy in this case – as it sent them barrelling to the ground, landing with a very painful sounding thump.

Riven and Brandon both lowered their phantoblades; the light shining from Bloom was so bright that they couldn't see anything. Of course, neither of them knew the light was coming from Bloom. "What is that?" Brandon asked, shielding his eyes. The sound of someone hitting the ground caused both of them to turn their heads. Much to Brandon's relief – and Riven's dismay – the three witches were the ones to fall.

"Darcy!" Riven immediately ran to Darcy's side, pulling her up and supporting her. "Babe, come on" he said, leading her out of the alleyway so that he could examine her for injuries.

"Gross" Sky whispered to himself. He tried to subtly look over at Musa hoping she hadn't seen Riven run to Darcy's side. His heart broke for her when he saw the look on her face – she'd seen them. She must've felt his eyes on her because she looked up at him and gave him a small smile - probably trying to convince him she was okay.

Bloom landed on the ground softly and dropped to her knees; she felt completely drained. Whatever had happened had drained all her Winx and she now wore the jeans and t-shirt she'd had on earlier. Within seconds, Brandon was at her side. He held her up – which was good as she felt she would faint soon – and asked her if she was okay.

"I'm a little weak, but I'll be fine. I think I'm going to have to sit out the rest of this fight though."

"What fight?" Brandon laughed. "The witches all ran away after your... um, explosion?"

Bloom breathed a sigh of relief and finally took a look around. Musa and Sky were walking over to where Stella was melting the ice off of Timmy and Tecna, who was finally coming to. Flora made her way over to Bloom and knelt by her side.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Flora said softly.

"I'll be okay, Flora." Bloom replied, leaning into Brandon. She had an excuse to be in his arms and she wasn't about to waste it.

"Tecna and Timmy are unfrozen" Stella announced. "Now let's get back to Alfea."

***

"Have some hero's brew. It'll bring you back to yourself in no time" Brandon said, handing a bottle to Bloom. They always kept a few bottles on the ship just in case it was necessary after a particularly tough mission.

"What is hero's brew?" Musa asked.

Bloom laughed. "I was just wondering the same thing. Like, is this going to make me puke?"

"It's a concoction of liquid superfoods and herbs infused with magic" Timmy answered. "It really will make you feel better."

"Okay... if you say so" Bloom replied skeptically, downing the entire bottle in one shot. She gagged a bit, but managed to hold it down. "That was disgusting."

"Yeah" Brandon laughed. "It's not the best tasting stuff."

"I feel much better, though."

"Well you don't look so good. Maybe you need some hero's makeup."

"Stella" Flora scolded.

"Wow. That really is quite the spell" Sky commented.

"Yeah, she's not herself at all" Musa replied. "Or, maybe she's just the worst version of herself?"

"Is everyone okay?" Bloom asked. Her friends had taken some major hits and she was concerned that one of them may have gotten injured. Or worse, that she had injured them with whatever burst of power she'd had.

"That bitch Icy singed my hair and tried to crush me behind a car. I'm going to need so many massages to fix the ache – I should send them my hairdresser and masseuse bills."

"I'm good" Flora confirmed.

"Me too" Tecna said, "though I do not remember any of the fight."

"That's because you were out cold for all of it" Timmy informed her. "I'm okay."

"And Timmy refused to leave your side" Stella teased. "It was very romantic."

Timmy felt his face turn beet red. "I-I just didn't want y-you to get hurt w-when you couldn't defend yourself." Tecna blushed an almost deeper shade of red than Timmy, though she didn't know that as she couldn't see his face properly. She was flattered that he'd stayed by her side the whole time. "How are you boys?" she asked, desperate to get the attention off her and Timmy.

"I'm okay" Sky replied.

"I'm okay physically" Brandon sighed. "I still can't believe Riven is hanging out with the witches, though. I really thought he was better than that. I mean, sure he can be -" Brandon stopped talking. As soon as he'd said Riven's name, all eyes except Timmy's - he was driving the ship – were on Musa. The dark-haired girl sighed and put on a smile. "I'm fine" she said softly. "I'm a little sore from the cars, but I'm fine. I wouldn't be if it weren't for you guys though. Seriously, I can't thank you enough for getting to me in time."

"How did you end up being chased down by witches anyways?" Brandon asked.

"Well, I was kind of just wandering through Magix paying significantly less attention to where I was going than I should've been when I picked up..." she stopped. Telling them that in an entire crowd of people, she'd picked up Riven's voice without difficulty would be admitting that she knew his voice well enough to do so. And she did, it had been in her dreams for weeks. Admitting that she knew his voice that well, though, meant admitting that she liked him.

"You picked up what Musa?" Bloom inquired. "You can tell us."

Musa took a deep breath; she knew they all knew about her crush on Riven, but she still hated saying it out loud. "I picked up his voice -"

"Who's voice?" Timmy asked naively.

"Dude, keep up" Sky chuckled. "Riven's voice, right?"

"Yeah..." Musa replied sadly. "Anyways, I got curious, so I peeked in and he was there with Darcy. I was going to leave, but then Icy and Stormy showed up and started being, well, bitches. So, I... I slapped Icy. Hard." Musa gulped at the six sets of wide, bulging eyes that stared at her.

"Y-you slapped her?" Sky asked incredulously.

Musa nodded.

"Why would you slap her?" Brandon reproached. Musa was a smart girl; she should know better than that.

"Yeah - you should've punched her. Much more of an impact." Sky added.

"Sky..." Brandon scolded. "That's absolutely not where I was going with that."

The prince and squire stared at each other for a few seconds before Sky spoke up. "Whatever. I stand by it. Musa, I'm gonna train you to fight so that next time your instinct is to punch her instead. Hopefully by then, you'll be able to knock her out or at least break her nose."

Musa looked at him uncertainly. "You expect me to get into that situation again?"

"Honestly, I'm never really sure what to expect with you girls" he laughed. "I can't believe you slapped her; that's just fucking great."

"What I'm really curious about is what happened to Bloom back there." Timmy said, asking the question he knew they all wanted an answer to.

"Yeah" Brandon agreed. "You had an insane amount of power. Do you realise that?"

Bloom shrugged. "All I really remember is getting super mad." And it was true, all she remembered was wanting to save Musa, Stormy being in her way and getting mad that Stormy wouldn't move. After that, everything went black.

"Interesting..." Brandon commented to himself.

"Whatever it was, let's give a big, loud shout out to our girl, Bloom" Musa laughed. She felt a bit better now that the conversation wasn't involving Riven anymore and that the attention was off of her.

"I'm shouting out to her to put on lipstick and change her outfit."

"Does anyone happen to know how long these mood swing spells can last?" Musa sighed.

They arrived at Alfea a few minutes later. The girls said goodbye and started shuffling out, happy to be back and safe.

"Actually, Musa. Can you hang back a sec?" Sky asked as she was heading out.

"Uh... sure" she replied, nodding at the girls to go ahead without her. Musa took a seat in front of Sky and looked at him curiously. "What's up?"

"Do you guys mind giving us a minute?" he asked Timmy and Brandon, who quickly followed the other girls out of the ship. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, Sky."

"Are you really though?"

"Yes. Sky I -"

"I saw the look on your face when he ran to Darcy's side, Musa. I know he hurt you."

Musa sighed. He'd seen it – her heartache was evident on her face even though she'd tried so hard for it not to be. "I - I'm fi-"

"No. You're not." Sky leaned forward in his seat and rested his hand on her arm. "I know we're not bffs or anything, but I know you well enough to know you're upset. And... I'm only asking cause I care, so please... just be honest with me, dude."

"Okay... Yeah, it sucks. And yeah, it hurts. It's stupid but..."

Sky waited for her to keep speaking but she didn't. "But?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "I know you have no reason to lie to me, but part of me was hoping you were wrong."

Sky nodded; he understood why she felt that way. If someone had told him Stella was now dating one of his enemies, he'd feel the same. "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"I really thought he felt the same way about you. I wouldn't have encouraged your crush if I hadn't."

Musa sighed, remembering the way he'd looked at her just before they'd almost kissed. She had been sure he felt the same too. "It's okay Sky. It doesn't really matter now anyways." She got up and started making her way out of the ship. She didn't want to talk or hear or think about Riven anymore. She'd made it through this conversation without breaking down or even letting her voice crack, but she didn't think she could keep it up much longer. She was halfway to the door when she felt Sky grab her wrist. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore" she managed to say without her voice cracking.

"I know" Sky replied, pulling her into a hug. That talk had broken his heart; she'd spoken so quietly the whole time and anyone that knew Musa knew she was not quiet by nature. He so very much wanted to sock Riven right in the face for hurting Musa. "I just want you to know I'm happy to listen if you need someone to talk to or that I'm willing to beat the shit out of him if you want me to."

Musa laughed. "That's not very prince-like behaviour." Sky shrugged in response. "You know" she continued, giggling the whole time, "sometimes I find it hard to believe you're a prince."

"I'm a... special sort of prince."

"Uh huh. Thanks, Sky."

***

Bloom and Brandon sat on one of the benches on the quad in silence. The girls had immediately, and rather conspicuously, moved away as soon as he'd sat next to her. They'd even gone the extra mile and struck up a conversation with Timmy, pulling him away from Bloom and Brandon.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're awfully quiet" Brandon asked.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"Oh? Anything you care to share?"

"Do you remember when I let it slip to Riven that Musa liked him?"

"On the Day of the Rose? Yeah."

"Well, when I went to give him the hexed helmet, he stopped me as I was walking away and asked if what I'd said about Musa was true."

"Okay?" he replied, not really certain where this was going.

"Well, I answered him honestly. I didn't see the point in denying it since I had already said it and I didn't want him thinking I'd lied to him." She paused, remembering the look on his face; how his usually hard face had gone soft. "He looked so happy when I confirmed it – or at least happier than I've ever seen him. I could've sworn - I was so certain that he liked her back."

"Bloom..."

"It just doesn't make sense to me that he'd pick Darcy over her. Especially right after our conversation. I mean, I know Darcy was the one that 'saved' him, but she's also the one that caused the accident in the first place."

"Bloom, Riven is an unpredictable person. I don't understand it either, but it's happened. We're just going to have to deal with it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Shut it before I make you shut it is just not a good threat. My girl can do better than that :/
> 
> (2) Both are indeed Shania Twain songs, but the mash-up version is done by Caleb and Kelsey.
> 
> (3) I don't understand how Brandon's phantoblade created that barrier. It just… what?


	10. Magical Reality Check

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual violence  
> Another warning will be given in the story so that you can read up to it and then skip over it if you prefer/need to. There will be no description of the act itself, just a mention of it.

The girls lounged in their common room, doing everything except studying like they should've been. Even Tecna, who was a real stickler for, well, everything, was in agreement that they could take a break for one day. It was Friday and they had the whole weekend to study, along with most of next week; their first midterm was only next Friday and, though it promised to be a doozy, most of them should be fine.

"What should we do this weekend?" Stella asked. She'd been filing her nails and watching Tecna and Bloom play some stupid game for the past hour and it was getting really boring. Flora and Musa weren't great conversation either; Musa was lying on the floor working on some song and Flora'd opted to read a book instead. Stella couldn't believe that when Tecna had finally let them have a break from studying, Flora had actually chosen to pick up a book for fun.

"Study?" Tecna suggested. At least, her voice said it was a suggestion; her face, however, made it seem like it was more of a requirement.

"Tec" Musa sighed. "We've been studying like crazy for the past week. I think we can allow ourselves a weekend off."

"Yes, we have been studying like crazy. As in: you, me, Flora and Bloom. Stella, however, has barely picked up a book all semester."

Stella sighed dramatically as Tecna went on about her poor study habits. She wasn't much of a book person, that didn't mean she didn't pay attention in class. Or, at least she tried to pay attention in class. It was just that sometimes they were so boring; some of their professors could really use some classes on public speaking. "Oh Tecna, would you stop with the lecturing already?"

"She's not wrong, Stella" Flora said gently, "you really should focus on studying more."

A knock on the door saved Stella from some of Flora's gentle scolding. That sugary sweet voice and gentle demeanor really got on her nerves sometimes. It wasn't that she didn't love Flora - she did - but she was just so nice. In the three months they'd been at Alfea, Flora had barely ever gotten angry or snappy.

Stella opened the door and was delighted to see a woman in an official 'Schools of Magix' blue mail courier's uniform holding a huge, sparkly pink and white box with a bow on top. "Oooh! Someone sent us a gift" she gushed.

"Hello, is there a Miss Bloom Peters (1) here?"

"Who would be sending Bloom mail?" Stella muttered to herself. She honestly hadn't meant it to be mean or even overheard, but the glare Bloom shot her indicated that both had happened regardless. "What? It's a genuine question. Everyone you know is on Earth."

Bloom signed for the box and closed the door behind her, looking at the box uncertainly the whole time. "Well... you're not wrong, Stell. Who would be sending me a package?" She sat on the floor by their couch and placed the box in front of her. "Do you think it could be some sort of trick from the witches or something?"

"No" Musa replied definitively.

Flora looked at her curiously. "How can you be so sure? The witches do have it out for us and Stella is right about Bloom not knowing anyone else in the magical dimension."

"Easy" Musa replied. "First: the box is pink and white with glitter and a bow. That's way too cutesy for the witches."

"It could be to trick us?" Tecna offered as explanation.

"Second: how would they know Bloom's last name? They'd have to break into the Alfea records for that. It's not like me and Stella whose last name is public knowledge."

"I guess there's really only one way to find out" Bloom said, opening the box. Her eyes lit up and she let out a small giggle when she saw what was inside. The box was filled to the brim with all of Bloom's favourite things: sweets, movies, art supplies and more. "It's a gift box from my parents. They must have somehow arranged to have it sent."

"How sweet" Flora said with a huge grin.

The girls picked through the box, seeing what goodies Bloom's parents had sent her: Red Vines, Funyuns, jelly beans, Sour Patch Kids, Bugles, Thin Mints, a variety of chocolate bars and several packs of homemade cookies. "My mom must've had to make so many batches of cookies for this - she sent like ten kinds."

"What are all of these movies?" Tecna asked, holding up several DVD cases.

"It's my collection of Disney movies! I can't believe they sent those" Bloom laughed, pulling her favourite movie – Hercules – out of Tecna's hand.

"I do not know if these will work here" Tecna said, examining one of the discs. "I can try to transfer it over to a DVD if you'd like."

"But those are DVDs" Bloom said dumbly.

"No, they are not; they are some sort of primitive disc. The ones here are much more high tech."

"Oh, look, Bloom" Flora said, reaching into the box. "They sent you a card."

"Cards are boring, Flora" Stella sighed. "But, read it anyways." Cards may be boring but Stella was a nosy and curious person – she couldn't help it.

"Stella, I'm not going to read a card intended for Bloom."

"Fine, I will." Stella grabbed the soft pink envelope out of Flora's hand and pulled the card out. She let out a gasp when she saw what was written on the front of the card. "Why didn't you tell us it's your birthday?" Stella asked, turning the card so the other girls could see the 'Happy Birthday' written in big blue and yellow block letters on the front of the card.

"What? When's your birthday?" Musa asked, ripping the card out of Stella's hand.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Stella shouted. "Well that settles that then. No way are we doing Tecna's stupid 'studying' idea. We have to celebrate!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Flora asked. Poor Bloom looked so uncomfortable.

"I don't know..."

"Bloom, sweetie, you must like celebrating your birthday or your parents wouldn't have gone through the trouble of this gift."

"A small something to remind you of home. We love and miss you so much, but we're even prouder of you for being brave enough to go on this adventure. All our love, mom and dad" Musa read aloud.

"I love celebrating my birthday. Every year, my mom makes a cake and a bouquet of flowers for me and we spend the day together as a family. It's a little hard being away from them this year..."

"Oh sweetie, I understand." Flora leaned over and pulled Bloom into a hug, which the redhead gratefully returned.

"Plus, there's what Stella said last week..."

"What?" Stella looked at her in confusion. "What did I say?"

"That I always make everything about 'me, me, me'. I just didn't want to do that; I don't want you girls to feel like I'm bulldozing you with my drama."

"Bloom" Musa laughed, "She was under a spell when she said that. Don't take it to heart; mood swing spell Stella was a total bitch."

"Hey!"

"Am I wrong?"

"I mean, no. But still" Stella huffed, followed by a laugh. "Why would we not want to celebrate your birthday, silly?"

"I don't know. I guess it is kind of silly, huh?"

"It is" Flora confirmed. "We love you. Of course, we want to celebrate you."

"So, what would you like to do, Bloom?" Musa asked.

"Oh, um. That's a good question."

"Anything you want" Stella told her. "We could go shopping, out for brunch or supper, amusement park, dancing?"

"Actually, I think I'd like to have a quiet night in."

"Really?" Stella asked. She would one hundred percent have gone for a full day out – shopping and mani/pedis followed by a dinner at a fancy restaurant, then dancing the night away at one of Magix's hottest clubs – but this was Bloom's choice so she didn't really have a say.

"Yeah, maybe we could stay in and have a sleepover. You know, order some pizza, eat this delicious junk food my parents sent, watch some Disney movies, gossip, do our nails. Things like that."

"Sounds fun" Flora commented encouragingly.

"Tec, do you think you'll be able to figure out the DVDs by tomorrow evening?" Musa asked.

"Well, I would rather study tomorrow, but I suppose I could make this my priority. Consider it my birthday gift to you."

"Thanks, Tecna. You're the best!" Bloom squealed, throwing herself at the purple haired fairy. Tecna held Bloom awkwardly; she still wasn't quite used to the affection the girls frequently used with her, but she didn't hate it.

***

The girls gathered in the common room the following evening. Tecna had succeeded in transferring Bloom's DVDs and she'd picked two of her favourites for that evening's showing: Hercules and Aladdin. Musa had ordered pizza, fries, onion rings and chicken wings for them to eat while Flora had made a delicious looking spread of the many treats that Bloom's parents had sent. Stella gathered every blanket and pillow she could find in their dorm; she'd turned the couch area of their common room into the coziest area in the entire dorm.

"You're going to love these movies, you especially Musa."

"Why?"

"They're musicals" Bloom told her, laughing as Musa's face lit up. "They were my favourites growing up; stories of princes and princesses, and magic and true love. Disney is the reason I have unrealistic expectations of romance" she joked.

Tecna popped in Hercules and pressed play. The minute she saw the Disney logo and that all too famous castle, Bloom was transported back to her childhood. It had been so long since she'd watched them and she couldn't for the life of her remember why; had she claimed they were too childish? Well clearly that was nonsense as the now 17-year-old Bloom found herself happily singing along and having the time of her life, even if she was singing alone.

_I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle it._

"I love this bitch" Musa laughed, referring to the main characters love interest, Meg.

"I thought you would – she reminds me of you a bit; smart, sarcastic... hot" Bloom said with a flirtatious wink.

"Oh, Bloom. You sweet talker, you."

"And the song she has is perfect for you too" Bloom laughed. "'I won't say I'm in love' - great song."

Musa didn't answer and none of the girls pushed her to. She'd not mentioned Riven since the Magix incident last week and Bloom and Tecna hadn't dared talk about Brandon or Timmy around her for fear of upsetting her. Musa wasn't dumb, she knew her friends were avoiding talking about boys around her and, while she appreciated it, she wished they didn't feel like they had to walk on eggshells around her; she could handle conversations about boys.

The rest of the movie went by without another awkward interaction. Musa even found herself liking the stupid song, but it did sting a bit. If only she'd just gotten over herself and kissed him then maybe she wouldn't be in this mess, and love songs and the colour purple wouldn't hurt quite as much.

"I loved that!" Stella announced once the movie was over. The girls agreed enthusiastically, which made Bloom happy; these had been such a big part of her childhood – she'd watched them to the point where she knew the entire script and could recite it from memory – and to share them with people who'd become such a big part of her life was so great.

"Next is Aladdin, which is the story of an orphaned, homeless boy who falls in love with his kingdom's princess" Bloom announced, putting in the new DVD.

"A homeless orphan and a princess?" Stella asked skeptically. "That's not ever likely to happen in real life. Can you imagine how amazing he'd have to be to get someone so very out of his league?"

"It's supposed to be about how you can't judge people by what they have or what their title is, Stella" Bloom replied, rolling her eyes.

"That's lovely" Flora commented, turning to Stella. "Didn't you tell me you'd like Sky even if he wasn't a prince? How is this different?"

"I did say that... But I meant if he was like a duke or a lord. I might even be willing to accept him if he was just a commoner – he is pretty amazing" Stella gushed. Bloom shot the blonde a glare indicating that she should shut up. "Would you stop with the looks? Musa knows we have crushes; we don't need to fucking baby her."

Musa looked over at Stella in shock; she hadn't expected Stella to be the one to get it. It wasn't like they saw eye to eye on a whole lot of things.

"My point is even Sky isn't good enough for a princess to settle for a... a... a street rat."

"I don't really think that matters" Flora replied. "If you really like him and he makes you happy, who cares what his background is?"

"Agreed" Musa nodded. "Besides, I've met plenty of princes and dukes and whatever else and they're almost all the same: pompous idiots with about as much personality as a blank sheet of paper."

"Sky isn't like that!"

"No - you got lucky on that one" Musa conceded. "But Sky doesn't act like a prince; it's honestly a shock he is. If I didn't know and had to guess based on their personality or how they act, I would for sure have thought Brandon was Prince Sky."

"Brandon isn't a pompous idiot!" Bloom cried defensively.

"No, I suppose not" Musa agreed, "but he carries himself like someone that's been well raised."

"Well, Brandon and Sky have been best friends since they were, like, seven" Stella argued. "It could be the influence of having been around a prince and royals so much."

"Can we stop talking about this and watch the movie?" Tecna asked before anyone else could speak. "It has been playing in the background of this ridiculous conversation and the only ones paying attention are me and Flora – sort of." The girls rolled their eyes at Tecna; clearly, she'd never been to a slumber party before. Still, they shut up and watched the movie.

Bloom turned off the TV; it was now 10 pm and they'd just finished the movie. Stella had not shut up the whole time about how unrealistic it was that a princess and a homeless boy would fall in love, but Bloom could tell she'd still enjoyed it – the smile on her face when they finally got together at the end made it obvious.

"What should we do now?" Flora asked.

"It is late, we should be going to bed" Tecna answered, receiving confused and amused looks from her friends.

"Tecna" Bloom giggled. "You're not supposed to sleep at a slumber party... you're supposed to stay up and gossip and do make overs and have fun. Sleep is for 3 am when no one can stay up anymore because they're basically zombies."

"Then why call it a slumber party? The name is very misleading."

"Oh Tecna" Stella sighed. "That's just what it's called." Stella got up from her spot and made her way towards her bedroom. When she came out, she carried a box full of nail polish. "Nails?"

Bloom nodded enthusiastically and since Bloom had agreed to it and it was her birthday, the rest of the girls went along with it. Stella pulled out a soft pink colour for herself and motioned to the other girls to pick their colours. Bloom picked out a baby blue and Stella immediately started painting her nails, intending on adding a sun and star on Bloom's thumbs as her artist's signature. Flora picked out a light green colour and started painting her own nails – she was ambidextrous so she had no troubles painting both hands herself. Tecna dug through the box, eventually settling on a metallic silver while Musa – much to Stella's dismay – picked out the black that Stella only had for decorative purposed. "Do you really have to pick something so dark?"

Musa chuckled as Tecna started doing her nails. "Would you rather never wear nail polish again or only be able to wear black nail polish?"

"Black nail polish" Bloom and Flora replied simultaneously.

"I do not wear nail polish, so never wear nail polish again" Tecna answered.

Stella looked at Musa uncertainly. "But black is so dark. Princesses don't wear black nail polish."

"You can always put some colourful designs on it" Bloom suggested with a laugh. Stella, she thought, was way too serious about something so silly.

"Nope, no colour at all" Musa corrected, clearly amused at Stella's indecision.

"What about sparkly black nail polish?"

"Sparkles are not a colour, so it passes. Right, Musa?" Flora giggled, knocking over the bottle of nail polish that rested on her leg.

"I'll allow it."

"Sparkly black, it is!" Stella announced, vanishing the nail polish that had spilled on the floor.

"My turn" Bloom shouted. She paused a moment, watching Stella paint her nails. "Would you rather have legs as long as your fingers or fingers as long as your legs?" Bloom burst out laughing at the girls faces.

"That's fucking weird" Musa commented after a minute of silence and confusion. "Fingers as long as my legs, for sure. If my legs were tiny, I wouldn't be able to walk or dance."

The girls played would you rather while they finished painting their nails. Eventually, though, Stella tired of the game and the girls, who didn't feel like hearing her complain, agreed to talk about something else. Stella had the bright idea of playing truth or dare, which Musa and Bloom happily agreed to, Flora tolerated and Tecna was not happy about. Unlike Stella, however, Tecna wasn't going to complain about it.

"There's a twist though!" Stella announced.

"Oh no" Tecna muttered low enough that only Musa heard. The dark-haired fairy held in her laughter; she didn't want Stella to get all huffy cause she was laughing while Stella spoke.

"When you pick truth, everyone – asker included – has to answer the question."

"Ooooh, fun!" Bloom said – she loved a good twist; it's why she read so many mystery novels.

"I don't know..." Flora said uncertainly.

"Oh hush, Flora. It'll be fun" Stella dismissed, "Bloom, as the birthday girl, you get to go first. Truth or dare?"

"What? Shouldn't I get to ask first?"

"No" Stella laughed. "Now pick."

"Ugh, okay... dare. I'm feeling adventurous."

Stella paused for a moment; this was the first dare of the evening and it had to be a good one, but not too out there that the rest of the girls wouldn't want to participate after. She could dare Bloom to strip for them, but that might be too much, or maybe to go to the next dorm over and do something embarrassing. Finally, she settled on: "We're going to sneak down to the kitchen and make you a drink with four random ingredients of our choosing. I dare you to drink all of it."

Bloom gulped and reluctantly followed Stella down to the kitchen, along with the other girls. Once there, Stella flicked on the lights and turned to the other girls. "Okay. Think of an ingredient that you want Bloom to drink. Once we've all got something, we'll say them out loud."

"It should be something that is liquid or easily dissolvable" Tecna added. "We do not want to wake Griselda by using a blender."

"Good point." Stella nodded. Once everyone had chosen their ingredient, Stella got a cup for them to fill.

"Peach juice" Flora started, pouring a bit of juice into the cup. Bloom was thankful that Flora had given her something pleasant to drink – who knew what Musa and Stella were going to give her.

"Sorry" Tecna said, walking over to the fridge. She pulled out the milk and added some to the peach juice. Bloom's face twitched at the colour the combination made – this was going to be disgusting.

Musa let out a nervous laugh before making her way to the pantry. Once she was at the cup, she showed Bloom the tiny bottle in her hand. "Hot sauce" she said, letting just a few drops fall into the cup.

"Oh Gods" Stella said. "I'm so sorry for this, Bloom."

"Why? What did you pick?!" The redhead asked, panic evident.

Stella took a deep breath and pulled a bottle out of the fridge. "Ketchup."

"Gross" Musa said, her face twisting in repulsion. "Maybe Bloom should be near a bathroom when she drinks this."

"Please" Bloom begged.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea" Stella replied, mixing the last remnants of the ketchup into the cup. She led the way back up to their dorm, turning off the kitchen light on her way out.

Once back at the dorm, Bloom took the cup and headed into her and Flora's dorm. She sat on her computer chair and looked at the repulsive concoction in her hand. She didn't dare sniff it; she knew it would be gag-worthy. "The whole cup?"

Stella nodded with a grimace.

Bloom took a deep breath and blocked her nose before bringing the cup to her lips. The minute the 'drink' hit her mouth, she felt the urge to vomit. She was too stubborn and persistent to give up that easily, though. Bloom downed the entire cup – all 250 milliliters – and raised her hands in victory. She couldn't believe she'd actually drank it without throwing up. And, from the looks on their faces, neither could the others.

"Holy fuck" Musa muttered. "Do you want a shot to wash that down?"

"Rum please" Bloom laughed, following Musa out of the room.

"I have to say Bloom; I'm both very impressed and very disgusted" Stella said, taking a seat on the couch.

Musa came back with a shot of rum for Bloom, who quickly downed the drink. "Okay. Flora – truth or dare?"

The girls continued playing, admitting to who they thought the most attractive teacher in the school was – Dufour won by a landslide - the names of their first crushes and if they'd ever cheated on a test (they could thank Tecna for that one). Stella has been dared to drink clean - thankfully - toilet water, courtesy of Bloom. Tecna, who'd been convinced by Musa to pick dare, had been dared to draw a face on her hand and pretend it was talking instead of her for the next 3 rounds. Musa had been dared to call a random number and flirt with the person who'd picked up, and to make an ice cream sundae with the hottest hot sauce the Alfea kitchen had instead of chocolate – which Musa had handled like a champ since she loved anything hot or spicy, although she has to admit it was odd to be eating spicy ice cream.

"Stella" Musa said. "Truth or dare."

"Dare I pick dare?"

"I don't know" Bloom laughed. "Dare you?"

"I do. Dare."

"Okay. I dare you to let each of us crack an egg on your head."

Stella whimpered; Musa couldn't be serious. Luckily, her salvation came in the form of Tecna requesting that they stop with dares that involved food as their constant trips to the kitchen would like awaken Griselda.

"Fine" Musa sighed. "I dare you to text Prince Sky your bra size."

"Oh Musa. How mortifying. You can't really make her do that" Flora said.

"Having to flirt with the old lady that answered the phone was pretty embarrassing too, but I did it. And Bloom drank that abomination. Telling Sky her bra size isn't that bad."

"Fine." Stella got her phone and sat beside Musa so that the musical fairy could see her type out the words 'My bra size is 32C" and press send. "This should be interesting."

"He'll be very happy to have that information" Bloom laughed.

"Hmph, whatever." A deep red colour set across Stella's cheeks as she tried to play it cool. "Bloom, truth or dare?"

"No way am I taking a dare from you again. Truth."

Stella was thinking about what to ask Bloom, and the other girls, when her phone vibrated. "It's Sky."

"What did he say?" Musa asked while trying to not show her amusement too much.

"'Thank you for that information'" Stella read aloud. "Gods, how embarrassing."

"That's beautiful" Musa laughed as her phone also vibrated. "It's Sky."

"Why is he texting you?" Stella asked, trying to hide her jealousy and panic. Did Sky think she was a total weirdo and was texting Musa to laugh at her?

"He says: 'So something weird just happened. Stella sent me a text telling me her bra size and I think I had a bit of a brain lapse and I just thanked her. Is she trying to turn me into a total buffoon? Cause it's working.'" Musa started laughing. "Aw, you made him nervous. That's cute."

"He thinks it was weird. Please just tell him it was a dare!"

"I am; geez, chill out Stell." Stella sighed unhappily, causing Musa to laugh at her more. "Seriously, relax. The boy is crazy about you – this isn't going to turn him off."

"If you say so" Stella sighed.

"Stell, what's my question?" Bloom asked, hoping to distract Stella. She was freaking out - Bloom had to agree with Musa - for no reason.

"Oh, right. Who was your first? If it's happened."

"Her first what?" Tecna asked, not understanding the question. "Friend? Kiss? Mentor?"

"What? No, Tecna. Her _first_ " Stella said, as if emphasizing the word first would tell Tecna what she meant. Tecna, however, just shook her head in confusion.

"She's talking about sex, Tec" Musa jumped in; she really didn't have the patience for this.

"Oh" Tecna said quietly, her cheeks going as red as Stella's were a few minutes prior.

"It was my ex, Andy" Bloom answered softly.

"Ooooh" Stella mused. "Bloom's already lost her V card. How was it?"

"Honestly, I wish I'd waited. Andy was a great guy and I hold no resentment towards him for it – we're actually still friends - but I felt pressured. We'd been together for a year and all our friends who were in relationships were having sex and we weren't, so I just did it."

"So, you regret it?" Musa asked.

"I mean, yes and no. Andy was very sweet and gentle, but I don't think I was actually ready for it, you know?" Stella nodded and rested her hand on Bloom's arm to comfort her. "What about you, Stella?"

"Well, I haven't actually had mine yet."

"Seriously?" Musa asked incredulously. "You've had like a million boyfriends!"

"Yeah, but none of them were worth it. I've seen what I thought was a solid relationship fall apart and I just don't want to give part of myself away unless I think the person is actually solid."

"That's really sweet" Flora commented with a small, almost sad, smile.

"I really hope Sky can be that person; there's something about him. I can tell." Musa smiled at Stella, wondering if she would feel differently knowing Sky had slept his was through about 14 different girls last year – at least according to what Brandon and Timmy had told her. "What about you Tecna?" Stella asked.

"Me? I have not even had my first kiss yet."

"So, Timmy will be your first anything!" Stella exclaimed. "How cute! I love little nerd love."

Tecna chuckled awkwardly. She didn't feel like bringing it up and talking about her feelings, but Tecna wasn't actually sure that Timmy liked her, especially not after watching Sky and Brandon openly flirt with Stella and Bloom while Timmy continued to talk to her about computers and video games.

"Musa?"

"Well, it would've been my ex, Micah, but it never actually happened."

"Oh? What happened?" Bloom asked.

"We were together for almost 2 years and, well, kinda like you Bloom, I just wasn't ready. We did other stuff, but full-on sex just didn't feel right."

"So why do you say it 'would've been'? Stella interrogated.

Musa scoffed. "I was finally ready so I was planning on sleeping with him on our second anniversary, but just before that I found out he'd cheated on me."

"No!" Bloom exclaimed.

"Yeah... four fucking times. He was two years older than me and, apparently, he was 'tired of waiting for me'. At least, that's what he said when I confronted him."

"That jerk!" Stella shouted. "Oh, if I'd been there, I would have burnt him to a crisp. Nobody cheats on one of my girls."

Musa laughed. "No need. I got my revenge; he had this gorgeous black 1970s Cadillac that he loved so much and I kinda... wrecked it."

"Musa" Tecna scolded. She knew Musa could be rebellious and angry and impulsive, but a vandal?

"Yeah... I keyed it, slashed his tired, broke his headlights" Musa said awkwardly. "It was not my finest moment. But come on, FOUR times with four different girls!"

"I'm so sorry he did that to you. Andy may have put a bit of pressure on me, but he never would've done that."

"Thanks Bloom. It's fine, though. I've accepted that I clearly have shit taste in men."

"No kidding" Stella scoffed. "At least you didn't waste your first time on him."

"Yeah, that's one way of looking at it. Anyways, Flora?"

Flora looked at the girls apprehensively. She'd never talked about this with anyone except Clementine, her parents and her psychologist. Sure, she trusted the girls and she didn't think they would treat her any differently, but still, sharing made her nervous. She took a deep breath, deciding to go for it. These were her friends, people that loved her, they would be nice.

**TRIGGER WARNING**

"I technically lost my virginity when I was 13..."

"Technically?" Tecna questioned. "How can you 'technically' lose it? To my understanding, you have either lost it or you have not."

Flora paused. She hadn't anticipated Tecna interrupting her. Nor had she anticipated what would happen next.

"Shush Tecna" Stella said, shooting the technological fairy an angry glare. "Explain, Flora. You know you can tell us."

Stella must have sensed her hesitation and nerves. For how selfish and inconsiderate she could be, Stella could also be really sweet and supportive, something that always seemed to shock the girls when it came out. Flora felt a hand on hers and looked up to see Stella's hand holding hers.

"It's a bit of a long story..."

"That's okay" Bloom said softly. "We've got all night."

"Yeah" Musa agreed, giving the nature fairy an encouraging nod, which Tecna mimicked. "Would you like a cup of tea, Flo?"

Flora smiled at her gratefully. "I would love one; jasmine please."

Musa got up to put the water on and prepared five cups of tea – might as well make some for everyone. She had the feeling things were about to get heavy.

"My first year of high school had been really bad. Clementine and I – Clementine is my best friend from childhood – had had trouble making friends and I didn't like being the outcast. So, second year, I decided that I was going to make more friends; I started dressing differently, acting differently, anything to fit in. The group I fell into was bad news; my gut told me so but I ignored it. I was sneaking out, drinking a lot, lying to my parents, skipping and failing classes and just... not being myself. Clementine and I had a falling out – she didn't like the way I was acting." Flora paused to accept the cup Musa handed her.

"Thanks Musa" the girls said in near unison as Musa handed them the other cups of tea she'd made.

"Anyways, this one night, I went to a party with them which was nothing out of the ordinary, I went to a lot of parties that year. But this time, I had way too much to drink. One of the guys that I thought was my friend helped me up to one of the rooms and he -" Flora stopped. She needed a breath; talking about this with someone who wasn't her psychologist was hard. She looked up to see four faces looking back at her – all four with the exact same look: one of love and support. "He raped me; left me bleeding on that bed. I might've died there if Clementine hadn't also been at that party and come looking for me after she'd seen him walk me upstairs and then return without me."

"Oh Flora, I'm so sorry that happened to you" Bloom said, making her way over to Flora to hug her. The brunette graciously accepted the hug and leaned into Bloom's support.

"I've been seeing a therapist for the past few years and I've worked on dealing with it a lot, but sometimes it still haunts me."

"That's totally understandable" Stella said, adding herself to Bloom and Flora's cuddle. Musa and Tecna followed suit and the girls became one giant tangle of cuddled up limbs.

"Does that count though?" Tecna asked.

"Huh?" Stella said, trying to crane her neck in the group of girls to look at Tecna.

"Does that count as her first? She did not actually get a say in the matter."

"Tecna's got a point" Musa argued. "I vote that it doesn't."

"Agreed" Bloom nodded, pulling herself away from Flora and breaking up the group hug. Flora giggled; it was so sweet of them to try to make her feel better about it.

"So, is that why you don't drink?" Stella inquired.

"Sort of"

"Even when it was just us and the guys? Were you worried that o - "

"No. No, Stella; nothing like that. I've learned to trust my instinct when it comes to who's good and who isn't - none of you, not even Ri -" she stopped, not sure if she should continue.

"It's fine; you can say his name" Musa said, realising rather easily what Flora was going to say. "I'm over him. He's a jerk. Just add him to my list of shit men."

"Really? Not even Riven. Even with the whole... you know?"

"Yes, Stella. Even with all that, my gut tells me Riven has a good heart. Remember when you were trying to get me to have a drink and he told you off? Bad people wouldn't stick their nose in like that for someone they don't know."

"I suppose" Stella replied, not entirely convinced by Flora's logic. "So why don't you drink then?"

"The taste of alcohol reminds me of that night. It's nothing about where I am or who I'm with and everything to do with what it reminds me of."

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Bloom asked.

"I do. For the longest time, I blamed myself – that's why I didn't press charges even if I had a witness that saw him take me and found me. But my therapist helped me realise that it wasn't me; it was him. He's a terrible person."

**END TRIGGER WARNING**

"I think we need something to lighten the mood" Stella announced, sensing that Flora didn't really want to talk about this anymore, "How about another one of those cute princess movies? Do we have anymore ready to go, Tecna?"

"Yes. Once I had it figured out, the process was rather simple so I did all of them."

"You're the best Tec!" Bloom shouted, making her way over to the box of DVDs. "How about Tangled? That's a happy one."

"What's it about?"

"It's the story of Rapunzel."

"What the fuck is a Rapunzel?" Musa asked.

"You guys don't know the story of Rapunzel? It's a pretty popular fairy tale."

"On Earth, Bloom" Stella reminded her.

***

While Saturday had been quick, Stella swore that Sunday had taken forever and today had been even slower. It seemed as if every class had lasted a millennium and every teacher had insisted on doing review for their upcoming midterms. Then, the other girls had decided that they should spend their time after classes studying as if doing in class review wasn't enough. Stella had spent hours staring at her books and absorbing absolutely nothing. Now she was finally free of forced studying and relaxing in her bed.

She listened to Charmed Life's newest single – through headphones, of course; Musa would be in here in seconds complaining about her 'horrible taste in music' if she was listening to it out loud – while she painted her toes.

The new song 'Best Night Ever' (2) was such a bop that she had an irresistible urge to get up and dance, so she did. She twirled around her room, throwing her arms and whipping her hair around. Stella was a good dancer, she'd been trained in any 'princess appropriate' form of dance, but right now she just wanted to dance like no one was watching. And, thankfully, no one was because if they had been, they'd have mistaken her for a fawn just learning to walk. She looped the song over and over – it was just so good! Musa clearly needed to get her brain checked for disliking Charmed Life. As she was about to restart the song for the fourth time, her phone rang.

It was Sky.

She quickly unplugged her headphones, ready to answer. Still, she waited. She couldn't possibly have him thinking that she was waiting by the phone for him to call or that she was overeager. After all, she was Stella, the Crown Princess to the kingdom of Solaria; she had boys fawning over her everywhere she went.

"Hi Sky" she said coolly.

"Hi Stella" he replied. Stella melted when she heard the smile in his voice. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all – I was just relaxing in bed. Besides, I've always got time for you." Real smooth, Stella. How did he do it? She'd wondered it many times and had yet to figure it out. How did the sweet, strong, incredibly handsome prince manage to turn cool, collected and flirty her into a babbling idiot? She would never know it, but he wondered the same thing. "What's up?"

"Not much; I just wanted to hear your voice."

"That's sweet" Stella sighed. They remained on the phone in complete silence for a good two minutes, just enjoying the knowledge that the other was on the other end of the line. "How was your weekend, Sky?"

"Fine. I ended up spending most of it writing my history essay that was due today. I probably should've listened to Timmy and started much earlier, but at least it's done."

"I know that feeling" Stella laughed. "I've had Tecna and Bloom on me about studying for midterms for the last week."

"I mean, studying isn't a bad idea. I'd hate to have you fail out."

"Oh, and why's that?" Stella teased.

"Well, you know" Sky replied, feeling a bit awkward. Girls never really had this much of an effect on him. Sure, he loved girls – like, really loved them – but he'd always been really confident and smooth around them, and, of course, it helped that he was a good-looking guy. Stella, though, she just did things to him without even trying. "It would suck if you went away."

"Would it now?"

"Yeah it would" Sky replied honestly. Once again, they fell into a short, but easy, silence. Stella lost in the thoughts that Sky would miss her if she were to leave Magix and Sky thinking about how much he enjoyed being around her and how much it would suck if she were gone. "So how was your weekend?" he finally asked. "I seem to recall getting a strange text from you."

"Ugh, Musa's hilarious idea of a dare" Stella groaned.

Sky laughed and Stella suddenly found herself no longer angry at Musa's dare. She could tell that Sky wasn't laughing at her, he genuinely found it funny. That was one of the many things she liked about him; he was just a genuinely good, easygoing guy. "That definitely seems like something Musa would do. Game of truth or dare, I assume?"

"Yeah, we had a slumber party for Bloom's birthday on Saturday."

"It was Bloom's birthday on Saturday?" he asked.

"Yeah, she hadn't told any of us. We only found out cause her parents had sent her this gift box with all sorts of Earth goodies and some movies from her childhood and, like, art supplies or something."

"Bloom does art?"

"Mhm, painting mostly, but she's pretty good at sketches too."

"I'll have to tell Brandon that. He would hate himself if ever he found out it was her birthday and he hadn't done anything."

"That's sweet of him. Tell me; am I wrong in my assumption that he likes her?"

She heard Sky inhale before answering. "I really shouldn't be answering that."

"So that's a yes then?"

"Stella" he groaned.

"So then why hasn't he done anything yet? Bloom is obviously into him too."

Sky paused. He so very much wished he could just come out and tell her the truth about why Brandon hadn't asked Bloom out; about why he hadn't asked her out, but he couldn't risk it. "It's more complicated than that."

"How?"

"I really can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"Stella, just drop it. Please?"

"Hmph. Fine."

"Thank you" he said softly. He could tell that he'd annoyed her, so hoping to get back to a happy rhythm, he changed the topic. "So when's your birthday? I don't want to miss it."

"You don't?" Stella asked, the discussion they'd just had fading to the back of her mind.

"No. I want to save it in my phone so I never forget it. In fact, I might have it tattooed on my forehead so that I see it every time I look in the mirror."

"No" she laughed. "Please don't do that. You've got such a wonderful face and I'd hate to ruin it with such a stupid tattoo."

"You like my face?" he asked, feeling himself burn bright red.

"Um, yeah… I do. Plus face tattoos are just not appropriate for a Crown Prince."

"No... I guess not. So, your birthday?"

"August 18th."

"That's disappointingly far. I was hoping it'd be closer so I'd have a reason to call you again."

"Don't be silly, Sky" Stella laughed. "You don't need a reason to call me. You can just call me whenever you'd like."

"That's good to know."

"So when's your birthday? I have to add it to my calendar too, now."

"September 23rd."

"WHAT? School was already in session by then; why didn't you tell me I'd missed it?"

"We barely knew each other then, Stella. Besides, it was the same night as the welcome back dance so we wouldn't have been able to have a slumber party anyways" he joked. Stella laughed. She wouldn't mind having a slumber party with Sky one day. They could watch movies and make out or cuddle all night, and one day maybe they'd do more.

Stella and Sky spent the better part of the next two hours on the phone; conversation flowed easily and Stella felt all the stress of that day melt away. Sky really was magical. Soon enough, it was 11 pm and she had to get to bed or she'd never be able to get up in the morning.

"Wow. I hadn't realised it was that late" Sky answered when she'd pointed it out to him.

"Goodnight Sky."

"Goodnight princess."

***

_Musa ran down the streets of Magix passing shops she didn't give a second glance to, and probably wouldn't recognise if she did. Bursts of dark energy hit her heels every few steps. She knew instantly that she was back in the grasp of the class of witches, and sure enough, when she finally gathered up the courage to look back, there they were. She didn't bother looking at their faces – she knew they'd be set in an evil determined grimace. Normally, she would applaud such determination, but this time since the goal was her demise, she wasn't too keen on it._

_She turned down the alleyway and groaned when she came to the dead end. "This is where Sky, Brandon, Timmy in the girls bust in and save my ass" she reminded herself to ease her panic._

_"Nobody is coming to save your ass pixie" a deep voice said. She turned to see who it was even though she would recognise that voice anywhere – it was a frequent presence in her dreams. Her heart sank when she saw Riven and Darcy making out, surrounded by Icy, Stormy and a dozen Cloud Tower witches._

_"It's like they say on the last page of every fairy tale: the end! I'm afraid there'll be no happily ever after for you" Icy cackled, throwing a shard of glass at Musa's exposed chest._

Musa awoke in a cold sweat; she'd been having the same nightmare for a week or so now. She'd had a pleasant dream Saturday once the girls had finally decided to go to sleep and she'd been hopeful that that was the end of these ones, but then Sunday they'd returned just as awful as before.

It was 3:17 AM according to the clock beside her. There were just under four hours until Tecna's alarm went off. Musa settled back into her pillows and closed her eyes, praying for easy sleep and knowing it wouldn't come. These dreams were really starting to mess with her; her sleep patterns were completely shot – not that they were super normal to begin with – and she found herself having trouble paying attention in class more and more. It wouldn't be long before the nightmares started to plague her so horribly that she would just avoid going to sleep entirely. She needed to do something about them before that happened.

***

"Good morning sleepyhead" Flora laughed.

"Morning Flora!"

"How did you sleep? There was no sleep-talking or sleep-transforming last night."

"Normally, there was no Daphne last night." Bloom replied. There hadn't been any sightings of Daphne in her dreams for a few days now. Bloom didn't know what to make of the disappearance, but she also hadn't known what to make of the appearance so she remained just as confused as she'd originally been.

"I've been thinking" Flora said, following Bloom into the bathroom. Bloom turned to her, indicating that she wanted to pee and that, as much as she loved Flora, she much preferred using the toilet alone. Once she was done, she opened the door so Flora could continue talking.

"I'm going to try to create a potion to protect us from the witches. After all the attacks, and especially what happened to Musa last week, I think we should be exploring any possible means of protection."

"That's a really good idea, Flora."

"I just want to make sure you're okay with it since it'll require quite a bit of space..."

"Honestly, Flora. If you think there's a chance it'll work, I'm completely on board. I'm so over those witches constantly going at us" Bloom groaned. Flora wasn't entirely sure if it was at the witches or at the hairbrush she was currently trying to pull through her hair. Bloom tossed and turned every night and an unfortunate side effect of that was knotted hair. Stella had given her a detangling spray to combat it, but today it seemed her hair would just not cooperate even if she'd gotten the knots out. Eventually, she settled on throwing her hair up in a high ponytail. "Does my hair look okay?"

Flora moved up to Bloom and smoothed out her bangs a bit. "Perfect. I'm glad you're on board with this potion idea; I'm hopeful that it'll work."

"I just hope your plants can tolerate Kiko" Bloom laughed. "More plants means more things for him to nibble on."

***

Flora waited for Musa in the courtyard just outside the cafeteria; she'd asked to speak to her alone and it seemed to be something urgent from the tone of Musa's voice. Lunch had just ended and most of the other girls had already started making their way to their next class. Flora's was botany which was in the greenhouse just off the left side of the back courtyard, so she wasn't too concerned about not making her class. Musa, however, had metamorphosis with Wizgiz and that was in classroom 7 in the school's west wing, so she'd likely have to run if this conversation lasted more than 3 minutes.

"Thanks for waiting for me, Flo" Musa said as she exited the large double doors.

"Of course. What's going on? It sounded... important."

"Yeah, I was wondering if you had any -" she mumbled so quickly that Flora couldn't make out what she'd said.

"Any what?"

"Anything to help me sleep" Musa repeated slowly and with a deep sigh.

"Of course – I have plenty of herbal remedies to help with sleep" Flora replied calmly. She'd become rather proficient in sleep remedies after the incident when she herself had had trouble sleeping. "What's the problem exactly? Can't fall asleep? Stay asleep? Um, is there anyth-"

"Nightmares."

Flora looked at Musa in shock. The musical fairy looked away, refusing to meet her eyes. "Because of what happened in Magix last week?"

Musa nodded. Flora could tell that it upset her that the witch attack was affecting her so much; Musa presented a tough front, she'd realised, but was actually rather sensitive. Being attacked by angry, blood-thirsty witches was one thing – having to deal with that and know your crush had sided with them probably made it all the more painful for her.

"I'll brew up some tea tonight – it should help get rid of them, but I can't guarantee that it'll be one hundred percent effective. Most of the times, it's best to talk about or deal with whatever your nightmares are about. Therapy – or friends – can help a lot with that." She grasped Musa's hand and gave her a tight squeeze.

"Thanks for the tea" Musa replied softly, pulling her hand out of the nature fairy's. She didn't like being the object of pity and, though Flora wasn't necessarily pitying her, she was lecturing her to talk about her feelings – which Musa didn't care for either. "I should head to class. Don't want to be late for whatever fucked up creature Wizgiz is going to turn himself into today."

***

Bloom looked down at her vibrating phone and smiled widely when she saw the name on her screen. "Hi Brandon."

"Hi Bloom. How are you?"

Ecstatic, Bloom wanted to reply. Stella had told her that she'd mentioned Bloom's birthday to Sky, so Bloom had actually been hopeful about getting a call from Brandon. Still, the fact that he'd actually called sent her over the moon. "Not too bad, just getting some Potions homework done."

"Sounds fun" he chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh yeah, truly the most excitement I've had in a while" Bloom laughed. "So, what's up?"

"Well, a little birdie told me your birthday was this past weekend so I wanted to call to wish you a happy birthday."

"That's sweet of you."

"And -"

"Yes?" she asked when he stopped abruptly.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a walk tomorrow evening. I know it's nothing fancy but -"

"I'd love to."

"Okay" he said, sounding relieved. "I'll let you get back to your homework then."

"Okay. See you tomorrow" she replied. Once she'd hung up, she got up from her seat and started dancing around the room. Brandon had asked her out! Things were going well: she felt well prepared for her midterms, her powers were growing and best of all Brandon had asked her out!

***

Bloom looked into the well and tossed the coin in, wishing for Brandon to like her as more than a friend. Her initial excitement at being asked out by Brandon had faded and she'd started to worry that maybe she had misconstrued it; maybe he just wanted to hang out with her as a friend. Sky and Musa hung out alone and there was no romantic interest there – maybe Brandon only saw her in the way Sky and Musa saw each other: as a good friend. After all, he hadn't actually mentioned it being a date; he just said 'go for a walk'. But he had sounded relieved when she'd accepted, though maybe she'd imagined that.

"Bloom! Hello! Hey what's up?" Bloom heard in the distance. She had been so absorbed with her thoughts that it took her a moment to realise that she was Bloom. She turned around to see Stella waving her arms about and giving Bloom the most curious look. "What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you that; then my wish won't come true."

"Does it have blonde hair and blue eyes?" Stella teased. Bloom's face went red. The girls all knew about her crush on Brandon, but being caught wishing for him was a little embarrassing.

"From the look on her face, I'm betting it does" Musa laughed. Bloom said nothing; her blush, however, became even darker and more evident in the early afternoon sunlight. "Blooooom?"

"Brandon wants to go on a walk tomorrow evening" she caved. "What do you think that means?"

Musa started laughing, almost falling backwards off the back of the bench she sat on top of. "Yo, B, I don't know what going on a walk with a boy means on Earth but in my realm when your crush asks you out, we usually call it a 'date'."

"Well, she can't go" Stella said, earning confused looks from the girls. "He asked her less than 72 hours in advance."

"He's just being spontaneous, Stella" Flora defended.

"Actually, I have to agree with Stella" Tecna said to everyone's surprise, Stella included. "Spontaneity is overrated; advanced planning is a sign of respect."

"And pretending to have a busy social calendar is a sign of self-respect" Stella added. "Besides what kind of cheap date is going on a walk? Plus, walking totally limits one's choice of dating footwear."

"It doesn't matter, I want to hang out with him" Bloom retorted.

"Ooh la la" Musa mused, "looks like our Bloom is going on a date."

***

Tecna looked at the clock by her bed: 1:03 AM. She'd only gone to bed 3 hours earlier, so why was she awake? She didn't feel thirsty or like she had to use the bathroom, there was no sudden realisation of forgotten homework (not that Tecna would ever forget to do homework), and she certainly wasn't hungry. Having eliminated all possible reasons for her to be awake – that she could think of, anyways – Tecna decided she would go back to sleep.

She lay in bed, eyes shut tight, waiting for sleep to envelop her when she heard a noise. Her eyes shot open and she waited patiently for it to happen again. She wouldn't be rash; if there was someone in their room, she didn't want to alert them to the fact that she was aware of their presence. She heard the sound again; it was coming from the other side of the room. She turned herself subtly, trying to make it appear as if she were simply turning over in her sleep. There was no one by Musa's bed so at least she was safe. Then, she had a realisation. If the room on her left was empty and the room on her right was empty, there was no one. Unless they stood at the edge of her bed, outside of her field of vision. Tecna closed her eyes and laid herself flat on her back. Gently so as not to alert them, Tecna opened her eyes just enough that she'd be able to make out any figure. Nothing. Maybe she'd imagined it.

Tecna closed her eyes, once again willing herself to fall asleep. Then, she heard it again. It was coming from Musa's side of the room – she was positive. She knew there was no one in the room, so she slowly sat up in her bed, trying to figure out what the noise was. It happened again and she realised that it wasn't just coming from Musa's side of the room; it was coming from Musa herself. Musa wasn't a snorer, Tecna knew that for sure. Maybe she was talking in her sleep like Bloom did?

Musa make the sound one more time and it finally clicked in Tecna's brain: it was sniffling. Musa was crying. Or she had a cold, but then she'd have been smart enough to go ask Flora for some sort of flu remedy. No – it had to be that she was crying.

Tecna sat frozen in bed. She had no idea how to handle this. Should she go back to sleep and pretend she'd never noticed? Or maybe ask her about it tomorrow? Would that make her a bad friend? She had to do something, she realised. So very apprehensively, Tecna said: "Musa?"

The room went quiet and Tecna realised that Musa had been audibly crying this whole time, it was just that the sniffles were louder. What now? Musa was not answering her, not that that was surprising. Tecna had realised a while ago that Musa was a rather proud person and she didn't like showing signs of weakness. Tecna would have to get out of her comfort zone and push Musa a bit. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nothing.

"Do you want..." What could she want right now, Tecna wondered. She remembered when Musa had realised she'd lost her mother's necklace and how Flora had acted. "... a hug?"

Musa, once again, said nothing. Then, just as Tecna was about to ask if she wanted to be left alone, Musa answered.

"Yes" she said so quietly it was almost inaudible.

She made her way to Musa's bed and sat on the edge of it. Within seconds, the dark-haired fairy had thrown herself into Tecna's arms and was openly sobbing. Tecna awkwardly wrapped her arms around Musa and began stroking her hair; Musa had incredibly soft hair – maybe Stella should use whatever Musa did instead of brushing her hair an exact hundred times every morning. "Are you sure you do not want to talk about it?"

Musa sighed and pulled herself out of Tecna's embrace. She found it surprising, but Tecna, despite her robotic tendencies, was rather comforting. Brushing the tears from her eyes, Musa sat up and looked Tecna dead on; her face was one of concern and care. It made Musa feel safe, she liked that. She'd never had anyone that truly made her feel safe besides Cecilia and Micah. And Micah had turned out to be a complete joke.

"I... it's... ugh" Musa groaned, pulling her pillow over her face and dropping herself onto her bed.

"I do not know what that means" Tecna said, hoping it would make Musa laugh. And, much to her surprise, it did; not much, it was just a chuckle, but it was something.

Musa sat up and dropped the pillow in her lap. "I just don't get why I have to be cursed with such fucking awful taste in men."

"Is this about Riven?"

Musa let out a long sigh and sat quietly for a few seconds before answering. "I know that I should be over him, especially after last week, but... I don't know. I'm just not."

"His siding with the witches was not enough?" Tecna asked uncertainly.

"It wasn't even just that. Before I got to the dead end, I ran into him – like, just him – and I asked him to help me and he just looked at me and said 'why the fuck should I do that?'."

Tecna was baffled. "And you still have feelings for him after that?

"I know it's stupid. I've only been around him four times plus he's, like, king jackass, but yeah... I still like him."

"Four times? In Black Mud Swamp, when we tricked the boys into helping us clean the school and that time we went to ask Sky about his 'date' with Stella. When else did you see him?"

"Oh, I forgot about that last one; five times."

"What? What were the other two times?"

"There was that time I went to hang out with Sky just before we snuck into Cloud Tower. He walked in while I was alone and dancing around their dorm." Musa let out a bitter laugh, remembering the effect that watching her dance had had on him – so much for that.

"Sky left you alone in their dorm so instead of behaving politely, you put on music and danced around?" Tecna asked, not quite realising it was not the moment to scold her for being a bad house guest.

"Yeah" Musa shrugged, letting out a genuine laugh this time. "Sky told me to make myself at home. That's what I do at home."

"Okay" Tecna sighed, deciding to get back to the subject at hand. "What was the fifth time?" Musa stopped laughing and Tecna could see her deflate. Whatever the fifth time was, it had effected Musa much more than the other four times.

"Do you remember when I snuck out the night before the Day of the Rose?" Musa asked, hoping Tecna hadn't heard her voice break.

"And you came back soaking wet? Yes, why?"

"Well, I was out in the woods and I ran into him. Or, I guess he ran into me since I was there first."

"Okay?" Tecna asked. So far it wasn't enough for Musa to be this upset over it

"We spent like an hour together just talking, or in complete silence, and it was… nice." Musa eyes teared at the memory of the calm on Riven's face as she sang to him and the feeling of his hand on her cheek.

"Forgive my ignorance, but you seem to be particularly upset about this encounter and I do not understand why" Tecna said, being surprisingly forward. So far, she had tried to keep her social ineptitude as secret as possible. She knew the girls knew, but they didn't realise how inept she truly was.

"Because, Tec, at the end of it I was telling him about my mom and he reached up to wipe my tear." Musa demonstrated, brushing her thumb against Tecna's cheek causing Tecna to flush at the innocently intimate act. "And I swore he wanted to kiss me. We were like an inch apart."

"But you never kissed? You would have told us about that."

"No. No kiss. It started raining so we left. But I was so sure – so fucking sure – that he felt the same way."

"I see."

"And I was obviously very, very wrong" Musa muttered, her voice dropping back down to a whisper as the tears started up again. "And now I'm sitting here crying over some jerk who obviously doesn't even give a fuck about me and I don't understand why."

"So, you are upset about Riven and about being upset about him?"

"Something like that" Musa laughed through her tears.

"But you told us you were over him?"

"Yeah well I lied, Tec" Musa said, leaning in for another hug. "I just really don't get it. You remember Micah, my ex that I told you girls about Saturday night?"

"The cheater?"

"Yeah. I didn't even cry this much over him and we were together for two years. But, Riven – that egomaniacal, self-centered, heartless, temperamental fucking dick – gets a whole waterfall's worth. It just doesn't make sense!"

Tecna sat silently as Musa switched between hugging her, hugging her own knees and hugging her pillow. She had no idea what to tell her, so she told her so. Musa, much to Tecna's surprise, didn't actually want advice or an answer. "I just needed to vent, I guess" she explained when she realised Tecna didn't get why she didn't want advice.

"Can I ask what brought this on? You have seemed more or less fine since Riven started dating Darcy with the exception of when Stella was under the mood swing spell."

"I... I guess Brandon asking Bloom out made me a bit jealous. Like, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for her that her crush likes her back, I just..."

"Wish yours did too?" Tecna knew the feeling.

"Yeah. So what's happening with you and Timmy?" Musa asked, wanting the attention off of her but not wanting to be alone with her thoughts again.

Tecna took a deep breath. She didn't like talking about feelings, but Musa had bared her heartache and social protocol dictated that Tecna should too. "Nothing" she replied sadly. "I am not certain he is interested in me."

"What? What makes you say that?"

"He only ever talks to me about computers and video games."

"Maybe he's not good at making conversation?" Timmy was a bit of an awkward person. Musa hadn't had the chance to talk to him much; when she had been at Red Fountain it was very much she and Sky that led the conversation.

"Maybe, but I do not think that is it. I have done research online about what boys like in a girl and I do not fit the description. I am not social or funny or - "

"I think you're pretty funny sometimes."

"You enjoy laughing at my naivety and lack of social skills."

"I mean, sometimes, yes" Musa admitted, "but other times you're genuinely funny. Your humour is very much deadpan and straightforward so not everyone gets it, but I like it."

Tecna looked at Musa uncertainly; her 'humour'? "I was not even aware that I had a style of humour" Tecna informed her.

"It needs some work and some encouragement, but it's there" Musa assured her.

"Well, thank you" Tecna replied awkwardly. "Anyways, I am not feminine –"

"Neither am I."

"Or pretty or –"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Tecna paused before looking over to Musa, who wore a confused expression. What could have possibly confused her; she was simply listing things men apparently liked that she did not believe she possessed. "What?"

"You're not pretty?"

"No."

"Says who?"

"Well, I do not have Stella and Flora's classic beauty or Bloom's cuteness or your –"

Musa rolled her eyes and cut Tecna off. Tecna may not be the typical idea of beauty like Stella but that didn't mean she wasn't pretty. "No offense to your 'research', Tec, but that's total bullshit."

"Why do you say that?"

That question caused Musa to pause. How could she properly explain why Tecna was beautiful even if she wasn't a Stella? "You find Timmy attractive, right?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so."

"You suppose?" Musa questioned. "What do you like about Timmy?"

"He is intelligent, level-headed, kind – "

"Uh, let's stick to physical aspects."

Tecna paused. This was awkward, but Musa sat there staring at her so she pulled herself together and answered. "He has these beautiful bright brown eyes and a very nice smile. His face looks honest and kind, and he is not overly muscled – I have realised I do not like a lot of muscle, just a decent amount, which Timmy has."

"Okay, good. Do you find Riven physically attractive?"

Tecna paused to think before speaking. "He has very nice eyes and I understand why girls would find him attractive. He is not classically attractive like Sky but he has a rugged handsomeness."

"That's nice, but I'm asking about you. Do you find him attractive?"

"Well, no, not particularly."

"Okay, so I like – liked? Whatever - I like Riven's eyes and his hair and his... face, in general, and his arms and what I imagine his abs look like..." Musa trailed off thinking about Riven shirtless. Damn him for being so sexy. "Because, contrary to you" she continued once she realised that she'd trailed off, "I do like a lot of muscle. I don't find Timmy particularly attractive. He's cute, but not what I'm attracted to. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"Everyone is attracted to different things?"

"Exactly, so just because you're not one person's idea of a conventional beauty doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who thinks you're gorgeous."

"I suppose…"

"Tecna, trust me, you are pretty even if you're not Stella or Flora. Plus, you're brilliant and loyal and honest and occasionally funny. Hell, you're even surprisingly creative –"

"I would not call myself creative, especially not when I am sitting beside you."

"For fuck sakes Tecna; you're creating an entire video game from scratch – that takes a good level of creativity. Which brings me to my next points, you're thoughtful and sweet. And if Timmy can't see that - but honestly, I think he can - he's a moron and I will beat him to a pulp if you want me to."

"I do not know if you can" Tecna laughed. "He does go to a school for heroics and bravery. Even if he is not the strongest guy, he is trained to fight."

"Sky is teaching me, remember? Plus I have magic. It's pretty easy to kick ass when you have magic and your opponent doesn't."

"I suppose you are correct there" Tecna replied. Tecna had to admit that it felt good to talk to Musa about Timmy, even if it had made her uncomfortable; she didn't plan on making talking about her feelings a regular thing, though. Feelings were illogical and that was just too far out of her comfort zone. But she could make an exception every now and then when a friend needed to talk and social conventions required her to share in exchange. "Feel better?"

"Yeah" Musa replied.

"Good." Tecna got up to go back to her bed, but stopped when she felt a hand grab her arm. She turned to see Musa holding her; a sad expression just visible thanks to the moonlight.

"Cuddle with me?" Musa asked softly. "I feel better, but I still don't really want to be alone."

Tecna nodded and lay down in Musa's bed. The musical fairy rested her head on Tecna's chest and threw her arm over her stomach. Tecna wrapped her arms around her friend and laid her head on Musa's. Maybe physical affection is not all bad, Tecna thought, this, for example, was quite comfortable. She closed her eyes and focused on Musa's breathing, eventually drifting back off to sleep.

***

Bloom met Brandon just outside the gates of Red Fountain. She'd just managed to be on time no thanks to Stella, who'd insisted on helping her choose her outfit and get ready. They'd gone through easily seven or eight outfits when Bloom put her foot down and decided to just go for jeans and a cute tank, sneakers and a high ponytail with minimal make up. It was a walk, not a fancy dinner; she didn't need to be done up to the nines.

Her stomach had been in knots the whole bus ride from Alfea to Red Fountain. She couldn't help wondering if this was a real date or just a hang out. Would Brandon make a move? Should she? No, she decided, her feelings were pretty obvious; if he wanted her, he would have to make a move. But, maybe she'd drop a few more hints just in case.

Brandon waited anxiously for Bloom to arrive. Lady, the stray dog he'd found at the beginning of the year and snuck into their dorm, sat at his feet. For some reason, she'd never responded to anyone other than him, but that would have to change. Codatorta had found out about her - pets were not permitted at Red Fountain - and she would have to leave soon. Brandon and Sky had convinced Saladin to let her stay until mid-year break, but after that, she was headed to Eraklyon to live with his parents.

Brandon bent down to pet Lady - it was the only way to stop himself from throwing up; he was so nervous. He'd never actually specified this would be a date, but he hoped it would be considered one. It was just that most of the girls he knew would never accept a walk as a first date, but something told him Bloom was different.

The bus pulled up in front of Red Fountain and Brandon easily spotted her long red hair among the few people who'd gotten off with her. The minute she was in sight he felt his nerves dissipate. She was dressed casually, but even in jeans and sneakers, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"Hi Bloom" he said once she'd reached him.

"Hi Brandon" she replied, smiling wide.

Bloom followed Brandon around the Red Fountain grounds. This was her first time there so he showed her around the school's campus. They walked for a while, talking about Bloom's life on Earth and how she was adapting to Alfea and magic in general. They talked about what studying at Red Fountain was like and how it differed from life on Eraklyon and how his squiring duties were different.

"Are your classes harder now that you're a sophomore?" Bloom asked. From Brandon's description, the classes sounded tough; she definitely wouldn't be able to take them.

"A bit, but that's okay. This year is better; I didn't really like school last year."

"What made you change your mind about it?"

You, he wanted to say. "Uh, there are better people around this year."

"Oh?"

"Yeah" he replied, clearing his throat. "And other stuff too. They started selling glazed doughnuts at breakfast; the glazed ones are the best."

Bloom laughed. Brandon was nervous, she realised. Could he have been referring to her when he said the people were better? Surely all his classmates were still the same people.

"So how is your studying going?"

"Good, but we have our first midterm Friday morning."

"Yikes, they're no fun" he replied, watching Lady run ahead of them and return with a stick that was easily twice her length. Brandon grabbed the stick from her mouth and broke it in half.

"Tell me about it" Bloom sighed. She'd been studying a whole lot over the past week and she barely felt any more prepared than she had then.

"Hey, you'll do fine" Brandon reassured her. He gave the stick a good toss and chuckled as he watched Lady break into a sprint to catch it.

"It's a difficult midterm - magical reality" she sighed.

"No way! Heard that story about the girl who disappeared in the chamber?"

"Yeah, I don't think that one's true" she said with a small laugh. "But Tecna says your performance on this midterm is an accurate prediction of your long-term success at Alfea and that's pretty intimidating."

"I'm sure you'll do well, Bloom." He rested a comforting hand on her arm and resisted the urge to pull her into him. They may obviously like each other, but he was a gentleman and gentlemen didn't push or pull their love interests around.

"Thanks. I hope so" she said uncertainly. Brandon's hand rested on her arm and though his presence did make her feel much better, she was still really nervous about the exam.

"Come on, I've seen the kind of power you have. It's so awesome! You are totally gonna ace your test."

"Power is only part of it" she explained, "and, besides, that thing in Magix might have just been a fluke."

Lady returned with her stick and dropped it at Brandon's feet. She panted happily while waiting for someone to throw the stick. Bloom bent down and gently pet Lady's head; the dog wagged her tail happily in response and gave Bloom a sloppy lick across the cheek causing Brandon to laugh. To Bloom it sounded like a happy laugh, but really it was a slightly bitter laugh; Lady had gotten to kiss her before him.

"I have a feeling you're gonna rock" he said, not allowing his ridiculous jealousy to stop him from trying to encourage her.

"Thanks" she replied with an appreciative smile. Brandon returned her smile and she felt her heart melt; he had such a beautiful smile.

***

"We should be sleeping – it is past 10:30 and we have to be up for classes in the morning" Tecna said with a yawn.

"So, you go to bed then. I want to know how Bloom's walking date with Brandon went" Stella replied.

"Me too" Flora agreed.

Bloom had left to meet Brandon at 6 and the girls – Stella – had made her promise she would tell them everything the minute that she get back, and they – Stella – fully intended to hold her to that promise. It was getting late and Bloom had broken curfew, so Stella assumed that meant things had gone well. "Nobody spends four hours walking; they must have started making out or something!"

Finally, at a bit past 11, Bloom tiptoed in, quietly shutting the door behind her. She turned around and dropped her jacket when she saw her four friends sitting on the couch – or the couch's arm in Musa's case – looking at her with severe expressions.

"Where have you been young lady?" Musa scolded in her best Griselda impression causing everyone to break face and burst out laughing.

"Sit" Stella commanded once she'd gotten hold of herself. "How did it go?"

"It was fine."

"Fine?" Flora questioned.

"Yeah. We walked around the Red Fountain campus and played with Lady."

"For four hours?"

"Well, no. Eventually we sat down and just talked."

Stella grinned. "Okay, okay. That's better than walking forever. Anything interesting?"

"We just talked about ourselves and got to know each other."

Stella's smile fell and she sighed. "So, nothing juicy? No kiss or anything?"

"No. I'm not even sure it was a date" Bloom replied sadly, "But there's definitely a connection there."

"That's a good start" Flora told her encouragingly, "There's no need to rush into anything. It's only December; you've got the next six months and two more school years."

"That's true. I mean, nothing's happened between me and Sky even though the spark is obvious. And nothing's happened between Tecna and Timmy either even though they're both clearly into each other."

Musa shot Tecna a look as if to say 'see, even Stella thinks Timmy is into you'. "Yeah, and once it does happen, you two will know each other super well and there won't be any nasty surprises."

"Now, we just need to get Musa and Flora some great guys too" Stella said gleefully.

"Stella, we don't need boyfriends" Flora scolded.

"Oh, pish posh dahling. I have wonderful taste in men – as you can tell from Prince Sky – I'll find you someone worthwhile."

Musa rolled her eyes; she really didn't want Stella meddling in her love life. "I'm with Flora on this one – please stay out of it."

Stella didn't let up though. She was adamant about finding them good boyfriends and she refused to hear otherwise. Eventually, she somehow coerced them into going on at least one blind date. That would be her next big project after the pageant at the end of the month – finding the perfect guy for Musa and Flora.

***

Professor Palladium led the gaggle of girls into a large chamber. From the door, they could see the floor of the room easily 40 feet below them. A walkway about 10 feet wide that protruded from the doorway was the only actual accessible ground. The girls followed Palladium to the edge of the walkway, as it did not reach the other side of the chamber, and formed a circle around him.

"I am sure, you must have heard quite a bit about this place already. This is it; the Alfea Magical Reality Chamber. The chamber is the product of the most powerful kind of magic that exists; secret, ancient spells and potions are combined to create just the right mix of magical energy to produce a virtual world and any kind of virtual situation imaginable.

"How about a virtual situation where there's not midterm" Stella joked causing the girls around her to erupt into fits of laughter.

Palladium smirked at her joke – he could appreciate wit and tried to always be ready with a response. "Yes, but it could also create quite a different situation; one where the test lasts forever." The girls stopped laughing abruptly; their expressions setting in fear and worry. Palladium gave himself a mental pat on the back for shutting down the Princess of Solaria – he would recount this to Griselda later, she'd definitely get a kick out of it. "Let me explain to you what it's like inside the chamber. While the world is virtual, the reality is not; when it's cold you will really feel cold and if a rock falls and hits you, believe me you will feel it. Some like to say the magical reality test is what separates the fairies from the pixies. I think it's true." He led the girls out of the chamber and around to the other entrance where the control room was accessed.

Stella hurried over to Tecna and tapped her on the shoulder. "Help me study? Tonight."

"I always do" Tecna replied with an eye roll and a genuine smile.

Palladium sat down at the control board and called his students to gather around him. He pulled up a demonstration video of the test. "Your midterm will be a survival test. The chamber will randomly select a dead planet for you. It will then place you on a virtual version of this planet's surface where you will have to survive extremely desolate conditions."

"First step: grow some plants" Flora whispered to her friends.

"Note to self: bring family gardener on the journey."

"Stella" Bloom chuckled, "You can't bring anyone with you."

Stella looked at Bloom incredulously and laughed. "Right. Survive without a staff? You must be joking."

"You may bring potion ingredients but nothing else" Palladium informed them, taking a moment to shoot Stella a look. "You will have to rely solely on your Winx to survive. That is all for today. Please remember that my office hours are from 4 to 7 today and I am available if anyone has questions."

***

Musa lay on her bed, staring at the book in front of her. She could swear she'd reread the same lines about twelve times, but she couldn't be too sure. Lyrics floated through her head and that's where her mind really lied – in turning those words into something. Musa closed the book with a sigh; she had to accept that no studying would be done for now. Instead, she pulled her guitar off the wall and her songbook off the shelf. Her current songbook that is; she had about twelve of them, all filled to the brim with songs, both completed and abandoned. She'd brought them all with her when she came to Alfea as she didn't want anyone – particularly her father – finding them while she wasn't home.

She sat back down on her bed, adjusting the duvet cover she hadn't bothered making up that morning, and rested the guitar on her lap with her song book before her. She opened up to a new page and, as she was about to start writing, realised she hadn't bothered to get a pencil. She leaned over and pulled open the drawer on her bedside table where she usually kept several pencils specifically for moments like these and realised that she'd used all the ones in her drawer.

Musa let out a deep sigh and made her way over to her desk to get a pencil and found that, somehow, she had none. "Where the fuck did all my pencils go?" she muttered to herself. She looked around the room in confusion before setting her eyes on Tecna's desk. Tecna had to have a pencil!

Tecna kept her desk perfectly organised – much like the rest of her half of the room – so it should be relatively easy to find a pencil, Musa reasoned. She opened the first drawer and found a whole array of pencils – all mechanical, not her preference but better than nothing. That had been even easier than she'd anticipated, she thought with a small chuckle. She'd just have to be sure to put it back; knowing Tecna, she kept count of her desk supplies.

Just as Musa was about to turn to go back to her bed, Tecna's laptop dinged to alert her of an incoming email. Musa's eyes darted towards the noise naturally and her curiosity piqued when she saw the email from "Electronio Dell" (3). That had to be Tecna's father. Tecna never really spoke about herself much so what Musa knew about her family was limited; her parents were both tech geniuses and very logical. That was it. That was all she knew about Tecna's family.

She debated whether to open the email or not. She knew she shouldn't be snooping through Tecna's things, but she was just so curious. Musa focused on the sounds around her, trying to locate Tecna's voice.

"- Ella, you cannot bring anything but potion ingredients into the simulator, Palladium was very clear on that" Tecna sighed, "Now, please, take this seriously or I will return to my own studies."

"Fine" Stella replied, sounding like a five-year-old that was being scolded for disobeying her parents rather than a seventeen-year-old getting help studying for a test.

Tecna wouldn't be back in the room anytime soon – she had time to snoop if she wanted to. Just a quick peak couldn't hurt, right? No, she would go back to her song. Musa sat down and wrote out the lyrics that had been in her mind but found that inspiration, the fickle bitch, had escaped her. That damned email had distracted her; she just had to know what Tecna's father was like. Mostly, if he was as strange as his daughter.

She leaned over Tecna's chair and pulled up her email. Tecna should really not leave her computer open, Musa thought as she opened the email from Mr. Dell.

_Tecna,_

Wow, not even a 'dear Tecna' or 'Hello Tecna'.

_Your mother and I will be in the lab all day tomorrow. An important investor will be coming and I will likely not have time to send you an email._

_We would like to wish you a happy day of birth. I do not want to get too emotional on you, but your mother and I are happy to have an offspring with an intelligence such as yours._

_Study hard,_

_Father and Mother._

Such a strange family they are, Musa thought. Telling your daughter that you were happy she was smart was 'emotional'? And what kind of sign off is 'study hard'? Most importantly, though, tomorrow is Tecna's birthday. Why hadn't she said anything? It wasn't like Stella had accused Tecna of being self-involved.

Musa closed the email and set it back to 'unread' before running off to Bloom and Flora's room. "Guys" she said, closing the door behind her. "I -"

"Thanks for knocking, Musa" Bloom laughed.

"Sorry, I just discovered something."

"You know, Stella's really more one for the gossip than we are."

"I can't go to Stella right now, Flo. Tecna's helping her study and my gossip is about Tecna." Flora and Bloom's faces indicated that she had caught their interest, even if they wouldn't admit it, so she continued. "I was reading an email from her father and -"

"Musa" Flora scolded. "You shouldn't be going through other people's personal stuff."

"It was just one email" Musa defended.

"How would you feel if she went through yours?"

"Honestly, Bloom, I'd wish her luck. There's, like, seven or eight hundred unopened emails in my inbox."

"Jesus Christ" Bloom muttered. "When's the last time you checked your email?"

"Iunno" Musa shrugged. "Anyways! What I discovered is that tomorrow is Tecna's birthday."

Flora and Bloom, who had both been shaking their head in disapproval at Musa – whether at her never checking her email or snooping through Tecna's, she couldn't be sure – looked up in shock. "Why didn't she tell us?" Flora asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should surprise her with something tomorrow after the midterm."

"I don't think Tecna would go for a surprise party, Musa."

"Not a party – that's more something for me or Stella. I was thinking of something like we did for you Bloom."

"Movie night?"

"Yes and no. Video game night! Do something that Tecna likes. We can try to find Zenithite take out and listen to Tecna talk about computer shit or whatever; just indulge her, which, you know, I don't think we do enough."

"That's a great idea! My parents sent me some video games in my care package. I can distract her after the midterm tomorrow by asking her to make them usable here while you guys set up and then I can kick your asses in Super Smash Bros!"

"Which Tecna will enjoy because she loves discovering new games! It's perfect."

***

"Good morning class" Palladium said cheerfully as the girls walked into the control room. The elf had his back turned to the girls and he was typing something into the controls. "I trust you are full of energy and prepared and ready to take your midterm."

Musa stared at the professor blankly. "I'm not feeling ready" she muttered to Flora, who stood beside her equally blank-faced.

"I forgot what I studied" Flora replied.

"Now, remember this is not make-believe so be careful! Don't get hurt. Got it?"

"Such great advice" Musa said, rolling her eyes.

"My stomach is in knots" Flora whispered, "This is bad."

"Hey, it's cool. There's an emergency button, right?" Musa joked, trying to ease her nerves, as well as her friends.

"Can I press it now?" Stella asked with a humourless laugh.

"Let's get going. So, do we have any volunteers?" Palladium said, clasping his hands together and turning to face the girls with a big smile on his face. He waited a few seconds before sighing. "Very well, in that case I'll choose randomly from the class list." Palladium pulled up the class list and ran his finger along it, closing his eyes to show the girls it truly was random. "Bloom Peters."

Bloom gulped. She was not feeling ready for this. How was it fair to make the person with the least magical experience go first? "Oh God, it's been nice knowing you girls."

"Bloom, you're ready. You've been studying your butt off" Flora said encouragingly. Bloom nodded uncertainly at the brunette and stepped forward, fully ready to meet her doom.

"Bloom, what potion ingredients are you going to bring along?"

"Um, I, um" she mumbled before clearing her throat and speaking up, trying and failing to sound like she had some confidence in her abilities. "I have the starter kit we got in lab class. So, do I choose the planet?

"No, the chamber picks it for you" Palladium said calmly.

"Question" Stella shouted. "Has anyone ever, like, not survived?"

Palladium hesitated, something that was not reassuring to the class of nervous sixteen-year-old girls. "Well, not that I've heard." He turned to the redheaded fairy and asked if she'd like a few more moments. Bloom shook her head no. "Might as well get it over with."

"Okay, now remember you can't leave the chamber until the test time is up but if you are in trouble use the emergency button" he said, leading her to the door of the control chamber. Bloom picked up her school bag containing the starter potions kit and made her way to the door. "Here we go. Wherever the chamber sends you I urge you to trust your instincts. If you listen to nature, you'll be just fine" Palladium said with an encouraging smile.

"Stay cool" she heard Musa shout behind her. Followed by Flora telling her to 'be careful'. Bloom looked back at her friends and shot them a terrified glance.

"Make us look good" Stella yelled with a huge grin prompting Bloom to giggle.

"Be logical" Tecna said with a thumbs up. Stella looked at her skeptically. "Tecna! What kind of advice is that?"

"The only logical kind."

"What kind of advice is 'make us look good'?" Musa replied. Stella rolled her eyes and sighed, ready to go off on Musa. "I'll see you later, girls" Bloom said before they could get into it – she knew the stress of midterms was getting to her friends, just like it was getting to her. The girls stopped their arguing and wished Bloom good luck.

Bloom walked along the corridor that led from the control room to the Magical Reality Chamber, her nerves rising with every step. This midterm was the most important one and it just so happened to be the first one. She felt so anxious that she wanted to puke. The door to the hallway was on her left, just before the entrance to the chamber, maybe she could bolt and take the test another time. No, she realised, she'd probably just fail if she ran.

She took one last deep breath before entering the chamber and walked to the very end of the platform. Palladium's voice came through on a loud speaker behind her. "Okay, Bloom, this will be my last communication with you. Once the environment is set, you'll be on your own. Remember, trust your instincts and listen to nature."

With a slow nod of her head, Bloom signaled to the professor that she was ready. A low whirring sound filled the room and the amber panels above her began to glow. She felt the walkway beneath her pull away, but she didn't fall. Soon enough, she felt solid ground under her feet and when the glow of the panels subsided, she found herself in what was easily the most depressing place she'd ever been.

The ground beneath her was brown and dry, with not a plant or even a blade of grass in sight. The clouds above her were gray and dreary and there was no sun to be seen. Bloom couldn't tell if it was just so gray that the sun was hidden or if it was night as she could not see a moon either. A gust of wind blew through her and Bloom felt the hair on her arms stand up and a chill run through her. "It's really freezing down here" she said, rubbing her arms to create warmth.

"Okay, my first step is to find a food source" Bloom said to herself. Luckily, she'd been a girl scout as a child – and a good one at that. She looked around at the desolate planet and realised that there were definitely no food sources available nearby. "Kay" she sighed, "Make a food source."

Dropping to her knees, Bloom pulled off her backpack and started to rummage through it. She paused in confusion when she felt something soft in her bag – the only thing she had in there was her starter kit and some stray pens and paper that she hadn't bothered to clean out. Maybe there was something soft in her starter kit? She grabbed the soft thing and yanked it out, gasping in shock when she came face to face with a small, guilty looking, blue bunny.

"Kiko! I don't think bunnies are allowed here" she cried, looking around guiltily to see if Palladium was about to stop her test for cheating. After a minute, nothing had happened so Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess it's okay. I'm gonna plant an eco-totalis tree" she said to Kiko. At least now she wouldn't be talking to herself, she thought with a chuckle.

Bloom went back to rummaging through her bag, eventually pulling out a small pack of seeds. She ripped the pack open and dropped the seeds in her hand, discarding the packaging into her school bag. She knew the others in the control room were watching and she didn't want Flora nagging her about littering, even though it would make no difference whatsoever to the depressing, dead planet she was on. "It might not be that tasty but it's got all the nutrients I – or I guess we'll since now I have to keep you alive too - need to survive. And all we're supposed to have to do is add soil and some Winx and say 'grow up acceleradum.'" As Bloom spoke, she covered the seeds in dirt and rested her hands on it, channeling her winx into it. She let out a triumphant laugh when she saw the plant poke through the soil. "Cool, it's working!"

"Look, she's doing so well" a familiar voice said from behind her.

"Huh?" Bloom said, stopping to look behind her. She groaned when she saw Icy, Stormy and Darcy standing there with their smug, witchy faces. "Oh, come on! I guess you're part of the test."

"Extra-credit question: can you survive this?" Darcy cackled, raising her right hand to the sky. Violet rings appeared in the dark gray sky which the witch then aimed directly at her. Bloom managed to throw herself out of the way just in time. "I beat you witches in reality. I'll beat you here. You can count on it."

Bloom drew her breath, calling all her magical energy to her core. A bright light exploded from her signifying that she'd transformed. She flew into the night – or very dark day – sky and looked down at the witches with disgust. "If I'd known you'd be here, I would have reviewed chapter 8: fungus removal spells" Bloom laughed. She figured there was no harm in a bit of friendly trash talk since this was all simulation anyways. She conjured a large ball of fire, throwing it at Darcy and hitting her square in the chest. The witch fell to the ground and groaned. "Now get out of my test!"

"Quit playing around Darcy! Let's mess this little pixie bitch up" Icy shouted, throwing an attack that Bloom didn't quite manage to dodge entirely. She was hit in the arm and let out a sharp hiss.

While Bloom was momentarily distracted by the pain in her arm, Stormy took that opportunity to throw another attack her way, hitting Bloom in the other arm. Darcy completed the attack, hitting Bloom in the chest and knocking her to the ground.

"I think that would go well with some hail and rain, you know, for ambiance" Icy joked, producing obscene amounts of the two. Bloom shuddered in the cold, which was only worsened by the rain.

"We're already on a destroyed planet, Icy. Do we really need this to add to the dark ambiance?" Stormy complained, pulling at her soaked curls.

The girls watched in horror as Bloom was attacked by the witches. They would jump in, but this was a simulation and Bloom's simulation; they weren't supposed to help her.

***

"Is this normal?" Flora asked.

"Yeah" Musa agreed. "I thought the whole point was to survive on a dead planet, not survive on a dead planet and get attacked by a bunch of wackjobs."

"It does seem very unusual that the simulation would choose three people who just happen to also be out enemies" Tecna said.

"This would be a phenomenal time for Bloom to push that damn emergency button."

***

Bloom rubbed her head, trying to clear her head enough to get up and fight back. A flash of light caught her attention and she looked up just in time to see Stormy preparing to strike. She beat her wings and flew back a few inches just in time to avoid become a Bloom-Kebab.

"You're gonna flunk this fucking test and get kicked out" Stormy taunted.

Geez, these simulations sure are mean and realistic, Bloom thought bitterly. She conjured multiple balls of fire, aiming them at Stormy in rapid succession. Much to her annoyance, the witch managed to dodge every single one.

"You'll end up sorting teeth at the Tooth Fairy warehouse" Stormy laughed. Bloom didn't get it – was the Tooth Fairy warehouse a real thing? Was the Tooth Fairy real here? While Bloom was distracted with Stormy, Icy sent a burst of cold flying at Bloom's legs causing them to become encased in ice. The heavy ice dragged Bloom to the ground as she struggled to free herself.

"If you don't like the tooth fairy warehouse Cloud Tower could hire you. You could clean up after the witches."

"Good idea, Icy" Stormy laughed. "That is, if you even make it out of here in one piece." Multiple flashes of lightning struck the ground causing it to split. The earthquake continued along the ground towards where Bloom was trapped.

"She's too scared to even fight back" Icy cackled.

Bloom felt her temper flare. No way was she being beaten by these second-rate witch simulations. She drew her power to her hand. Once she felt her hands burn, she rested them on the ice around her legs. The heat caused the ice to crack and burst, freeing Bloom from her ice prison.

Icy groaned. "I'd have to rate that a C minus. One more blunder and you'll be failing."

"Enough! I've had it with you" Bloom shouted, anger and determination evident in her voice.

"Sure" Icy scoffed. "You're so weak you can't even protect your stupid fucking bunny." Icy pointed to where Kiko stood, tiny legs shaking, on a thin sliver of land. The surrounding area had become lava once the ground split and Kiko eyed that lava with dread.

"Kiko! I'll get you, Kiko" Bloom yelled, trying to reassure her poor bunny.

"Oh, I don't think you will" Icy said menacingly. She summoned a large burst of energy and aimed directly at the miniscule plot of land. It hit perfectly causing the land to split and Kiko to go flying off. Bloom didn't need Tecna to calculate his trajectory to know her precious bunny would soon be no more.

"Say this once, say this twice, cast this spell and all will be well! Say this once, say this twice, cast this spell and all will be well!" Bloom shouted desperately. When she'd looked at the protection spell earlier today, she'd been confused about what exactly she was supposed to say twice, but she didn't have time to question that or think about it right now, so she just went on instinct.

"Bunny burgers anyone?" Icy laughed.

"Stop!" Bloom bawled. Her rage and pain consumed her. She had to destroy these witches – for Kiko! A bright glow surrounded her and she felt her power surge.

"Why should we? It's all your fault" Icy taunted.

"You did let it happen" Stormy pointed out.

"That's right."

"It's a shame, bunny was so damn cute" Icy added. The three witches burst out laughing causing Bloom's anger to overpower any other feelings she may have.

"I'm going to get you for that" Bloom said, letting out a primal scream. The same energy she'd known twice now – two weeks ago when the witches had attacked Musa and that first day when Stella had shown up in Gardenia – radiated through her. The surrounding area was overcome with a bright light and heat. Icy said something, but the only word that Bloom caught was 'move'. She had won.

Bloom slowly lowered herself to the ground, the heat around her fading away. Soon she felt the chill of the planet again, but she barely registered it. She'd lost Kiko. Her very best friend was gone. Simulation or not, Palladium had said that if you got hurt, it would be real. That meant that if you died, you died. Bloom dropped to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks, and collapsed.

***

The screen allowing them to see into the Magical Reality Chamber became blurry. While the girls looked on in confusion and worry, Palladium was furiously tapping away at the keys. "Professor?!"

"Tecna, what's going on?" Musa asked as the screen became blurrier and blurrier.

"It looks like the computer is crashing."

"That's insane. This is supposed to be some of the strongest magic in the fucking universe!"

"While that is true for the chamber itself, Musa. The computer that controls it is still just a computer and, though I would like to believe otherwise, technology is not infallible."

***

Blooms eyes fluttered open, but she made no attempt to get up. What was the point? Kiko was gone. She'd caused the death of her oldest and most loyal friend. A sound behind her caught her attention and she hoped with all her might that it wasn't another attack from the witches. Pushing herself into a sitting position, Bloom looked in the direction of the noise. Her heart swelled with joy when she saw the little, blue bunny looking up at her with those big bunny eyes.

"Kiko? The spell actually worked?" She reached out to pick up the bunny. What happened instead, however, was that her hand went right through him. "Kiko?" She got on all fours and put her head just beside Kiko to observe him and figure out why he was intangible. That's when she saw it. About 10 feet back, lying behind a rock was another Kiko.

Two Kikos? How? No, she realised. Three Kikos – there was another near the second Kiko. Bloom shook her head in disbelief and that's when she realised there were way more than three Kikos; there had to be easily two dozen Kikos. She paused in confusion – what was happening? The silence that accompanied her pause allowed her to hear a distinct sound she would recognise anywhere; Kiko – her Kiko – was snoring.

She channeled her inner Musa – what she wouldn't give for sonar hearing right now – and followed the bunny's tiny snores, eventually coming to a sleeping bunny behind a large rock. Bloom reached out tentatively to pick it up and let out a squeal of delight when she managed to grab him. She pulled him close to her chest, closed her eyes and laughed happily.

A bright light shone around her and when she opened her eyes, she found herself back on the Magical Reality Chamber's walkway. "Huh. I guess the test is over, Kiko" she said, pushing herself to her feet. It was only when she was standing that she noticed the large cracks that ran along the chamber's ceiling.

"Bloom!" she heard Flora shout. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"We were so worried about you" Stella cried, throwing herself into Bloom's arms.

"Great work! You were absolutely stupendous." Palladium said joining the girls on the walkway.

"That's fantastic! But what happened with the chamber?"

"Major malfunction I'm afraid. It's nothing that can't be fixed but I will have to postpone the test."

"She aced the test and got it postponed; give it up for Bloom" Stella announced to the class as they made their way onto the walkway. The girls erupted into cheers.

Musa took that opportunity to slip in beside Bloom and ask her if they were still good for plan 'T b-day', to which Bloom nodded enthusiastically. "Hey Tecna, do you think you could help me with something?"

"Of course, Bloom. What can I do for you?"

"Well, you remember how you transferred all my movies? I realised yesterday that my parents had also sent some of my old video games, so I thought it might be fun if you could get those to work here too."

Musa and Bloom exchanged a quick glance when Tecna's eyes lit up with excitement. Ever the calm one, Tecna quickly reeled in her excitement and simply replied: "of course."

***

Bloom and Tecna had spent most of the late afternoon and early evening in the computer lab transferring the games. When 6pm rolled around, Tecna was just finishing up, so Bloom suggested they go up to the dorm, fetch the other girls and get supper. Tecna, feeling her stomach grumble, agreed enthusiastically.

When they entered the dorm, the girls in the room didn't bother looking at them. Musa sat on the floor, working on a song, while Flora watered her plants and Stella brushed her hair. Everything seemed rather normal until Tecna approached the couch and saw the stack of video games and the piles of food – both from what was probably the only Zenithite restaurant in Magix and from various other places; foods she'd discovered and enjoyed while at Alfea. "What is all this?"

"Did you really think we were gonna ignore your birthday?" Musa laughed, closing her song book.

"How did you know it is my birthday?"

Musa looked at Bloom and Flora for support, but Flora, ever the goody-goody outed her. "Musa read your emails and saw the one where your dad wished you a happy birthday."

"Now, hold the fuck up. I only read that email, nothing else!"

"Why were you reading my email?"

"I know I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. I was stealing a pencil from your desk cause I couldn't find any of mine - I returned the pencil! While I was there, the email from your dad popped up and I was just so curious. I'm really sorry, I won't do it again. Please don't hate me!"

"I do not hate you."

"Now that that's done. Tell us, why were you hiding your birthday?" Stella questioned.

Tecna took a deep breath. "I do not know. I never saw the point of a birthday celebration. Besides, I thought you would not want to celebrate it." At the girls confused expressions, Tecna forced herself to keep talking and explained: "I am not like you. I assume you tolerate me simply because I am your dorm mate."

And it was true; Tecna didn't really fit in with the girls. She wasn't loud and outgoing like Musa and Stella or sweet and loving like Bloom and Flora. She didn't spend Saturday nights dancing around and belting terrible pop songs at the top of her lungs like they did. She couldn't spend hours shopping like Stella and Bloom could or spend an entire night in a loud club like Musa and Stella. She didn't have much in common with any of them, except Bloom liking video games and she and Musa liking new technologies, though that was limited to anything music related.

"What?" they replied in unison.

"Tec" Musa said sadly. She stood up before the technological fairy and placed her hands on Tecna's cheeks. "You stupid robot -"

"Not a robot."

"Sure, okay" she laughed. "We love you even if you are a bit... weird."

"Yeah" Stella agreed. "Just cause we don't have much in common, doesn't mean we don't love you or want to be your friends."

Tecna, never taking her eyes off Musa – the only one of the girls she was truly comfortable with – grinned widely. "So, what is all this?"

"It's video game night, sweetie. We thought we'd do something you enjoy for your birthday. No princess movies, no clubs, no make overs. Stella even agreed to be a participant and not complain."

"Too much" Stella added on.

"Really?" Tecna asked happily. She turned to Musa and quietly whispered. "You know, it is finished."

"What?" Musa replied, not understanding what Tecna was referring to.

"The... thing."

"The thing? How am I supposed to know what the fu – Oh! Right now?"

"Why not? It fits the theme."

"Okay" Musa replied with a small chuckle. "Girls, Tecna has something for us."

"You have a gift for us? On your birthday? That's a bit unorthodox" Bloom laughed.

Tecna rushed into hers and Musa's room and quickly returned with a CD case. She handed it to Bloom who was the closest to her. The redhead took the case from her and held it up so she could see it properly. "Winx club: the game" she read. "We have a game?"

"Now, yes."

"How?" Stella asked, grabbing the game from Bloom's hands.

"I made it."

"You... made it?" Flora repeated.

"Yes, that is correct. With some help from Musa."

"I just did music! Tec did everything else."

"Everything?" Bloom questioned.

"Yes, I created a storyline, designed characters to resemble us – I even added in the specialists for extra storylines." Tecna turned to Musa abruptly. "I removed the Riven character..."

"That's probably a good call" Musa replied softly, giving Tecna an appreciative smile and a knowing look.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's play our game!" Bloom shouted happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I've read so many fanfics that have Bloom's last name as Peters that I started believing it was canon at some point. I still kind of do tbh so I figured, what the hell, might as well keep that going lol.  
> Keep in mind this chapter was written before Fate lol
> 
> (2) Charmed Life is essentially the Magix version of One Direction
> 
> (3) Like Dell Computers


	11. Junior League

Musa walked through the corridors of Red Fountain on her way to the guys' dorm. She'd not set foot in the school since the last movie night she'd gone to - the one Riven had been at. Sky had assured her that Riven would not be attending, partially because he was no longer friends with them, but also because he had requested - and been granted - a dorm transfer. This meant Timmy now had a single room, something the spectacled specialist could not complain about. No, tonight would just be her, Brandon and Sky; Timmy apparently had too much homework to finish.

Musa knocked on the door 317 - Sky's dorm. She was a few minutes early but she didn't think that would be a big deal. Clearly, however, she was wrong as she found herself face to face with Sky's bare chest.

"Hey Scott" he said, too focused on pulling money out of his wallet to notice that the person before him was not Scott and was not delivering pizzas. When he finally looked up, he started laughing at the bemused look on Musa's face. "Sorry Musa, I was expecting Scott."

"Sorry to disappoint" she jested.

"No need - you're much better looking."

"That may be, but Scott brings pizza and that gives him an advantage over me."

"How about we call it even?" he replied, moving out of the way to let her enter the room. She'd only been there once before, but she had quickly felt comfortable in the space, so she made her way to the mini fridge behind the couch and grabbed a beer. "Glad to see you took my instructions to make yourself at home seriously" Sky teased.

"Sorry?" Musa said, putting the already opened bottle of beer back in the fridge. "There. Now you can offer me a bottle."

Sky rolled his eyes and, ignoring her, made his way to his room to find a shirt.

"Wow. He is not a good host" she said to Brandon.

"Apparently not" he chuckled.

"He's going to be a terrible king. I mean, honestly, if he can't offer one person a beer, what's he going to do when he's the main host to a bunch of snooty rich people?" Musa scoffed, though her expression clearly indicated she was joking.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that."

"I suppose not; it's not my home he'll be destroying." She reached into the mini fridge to get her beer and dropped herself onto the couch opposite Brandon. "So, what are tonight's movies?"

"We ha -" A knock at the door interrupted Brandon. Sky, now wearing a shirt, ran to the door. This time it was Scott. Sky was not kidding when he said she was more attractive. Now, Musa didn't consider herself to be a great beauty by any means, but poor Scott had really drawn the short stick when looks were given out. She couldn't help but wonder how he felt every time he set foot into Red Fountain since the school was basically dedicated to making its students look like gods.

"Someone wouldn't let me choose the movies" Sky informed her, setting the pizzas and sides down on the table before her. Musa realised she'd not thought of bringing any honey and since Riven wasn't in this dorm anymore, she'd have to settle for plain onion rings – how unfortunate.

"That's probably a wise choice – you picked that gingerbread shit last time."

"Yeah, well, this time Brandon has decided to make it a chick flick night – even though I told him I didn't think you'd be happy about that - so we'll be watching 'Say Anything' and 'The Princess Bride'."

"I like romcoms, man" Brandon shrugged. "We don't always have to watch garbage horror movies."

"Honestly, I'm not a huge romcom fan, but 'The Princess Bride' is a fucking killer movie. Legit, guys, if you ever feel like watching a movie and getting super trashed – make it 'The Princess Bride'." (1)

"Noted" Sky laughed.

"So, why am I the only girl invited this time?" Musa questioned, leaning forward to grab a slice of pizza.

Sky and Brandon exchanged a nervous look. They stayed quiet for a few minutes while Musa sat there expectantly and peacefully eating. The boys knew they couldn't exactly say 'we didn't invite the other girls because we can't spend too much time around Stella and Bloom because we're falling for them and that's a problem'. If only Brandon had let Sky choose the movies then they'd have the excuse of not thinking that the other girls would like horror, but no, Brandon had to insist on picking them.

"Well?" Musa asked after a few minutes of silence too many.

"It's -"

"Just that we think of you as one of the guys" Sky offered, knowing Brandon was likely going to say something that would only make Musa more suspicious, like 'it's complicated'.

"What?" Musa had no idea what to make of that.

"Yeah, you know. We can drink beer and eat junk and make dirty jokes and fart around you" Sky defended.

"Please don't fart around me; we're not there in our relationship yet."

"Okay, fine. No farting" Sky relented, "It's just that with Stella and Bloom, we want to impress them, not show them what we're like when we're just chilling out in our dorms - at least not yet. And Flora and Tecna seem a little too serious to want to make dirty jokes and watch shitty movies with us."

"I don't know if I'd call Flo 'serious'" Musa replied.

"Me neither" Brandon agreed, "More 'mature'."

"So, am I just supposed to keep lying to the girls whenever I come?" Musa liked hanging out with them, but she wasn't a huge fan of lying to the girls. This time she'd told them she was going to an underground record sale that lasted from 8 to midnight and that she was leaving at 6 to get in line for it. When Bloom had expressed interest in coming with her, Musa had had to think quickly and tell Bloom that it was by registration and that Musa had registered her spot in early November to guarantee a slot and that they were full. If anyone asked, she intended to tell them that she'd not found anything interesting and that the whole experience had been rather disappointing. As much as she hated lying, she had to admit she was good at it; years of sneaking out to go do anything that wasn't an 'approved activity' - either by the royal family or her father – had prepared her well.

"You can say it's video game night?" Brandon suggested.

"No, Tecna and Bloom like video games."

"Sports night?"

Musa shot him a skeptical look. "What about me says that I might like sports? Besides, Bloom would be down for that."

"We're training?"

"Until late at night? No, that'll make Stella jealous." She racked her brain trying to come up with something and eventually settled on "maybe it's best to just tell them the truth. I don't want to lie to my friends and if I explain why, maybe none of the girls will get jealous or upset which is what I assume you were trying to avoid by asking me not to tell them."

Brandon eyed her skeptically. He had just started getting closer to Bloom – something he knew deep down wasn't the wisest choice – and he really didn't want her being mad at him. "You really think they'll be okay with that?"

"No, but I'm not super down to lie to them. And my other option is to not come which I don't really want to do either – I like hanging out with you guys."

Both boys let out a deep sigh; they had no choice but to let Musa do what she thought was right or stop inviting her. Brandon was willing to do the latter, but he knew Sky and Musa had really bonded and that his friend liked having her around. For all of Sky's wonderful qualities, he did tend to be a bit stubborn at times. Not that Brandon would ever hold that against him as Sky had so many other great qualities that more than made up for his occasional stubbornness – the brunet was unwaveringly loyal, honest, hardworking, friendly, funny, upbeat and occasionally quite intelligent. "Okay. We trust you to not make us sound like jerks."

Eventually, they settled in and Brandon popped in Say Anything. Musa enjoyed the movie well enough, but she wished Sky had chosen – a romance was not exactly what she wanted right now.

***

Sky let out a small chuckle and looked over at Musa. "Tell me, as a woman and a music lover, would you ever forgive a guy if he showed up under your window with a boom box and a cheesy song?"

"I don't know, man. It'd have to be a pretty fucking great song. And it wouldn't win me over, but it would get me to hear him out. Some things just don't deserve to be forgiven, you know."

"Oh? Like your ex?" Brandon laughed.

Sky's face twisted into one of confusion. "How do you know anything about her exes, and I don't?" he asked Brandon before turning back to Musa. "Are you replacing me with him? Is this who you want as your best friend?"

"Bloom told me, not Musa" Brandon said at the same time as Musa said: "You're… not my best friend."

"Oh, thank the Gods; I really thought I was wait, what? I'm not your best friend?"

"No? My best friend is my best friend from home that I've been best friends with since I was born. Although, I do really think you'd get along – you're very similar." Musa let out a small laugh as she reached for another slice of pizza. She'd love to have a photograph of Sky's face at the moment; the mocking indignation, hurt and shock was classic. "Besides, you already have a best friend too. Remember Brandon? Your trusty squire and favourite blond."

"Assuming I'm still his favourite blond. Stella might have taken that title away from me."

Sky rolled his eyes at Brandon's comment. "I can have two favourite blonds, you know. Besides, I can't kiss you."

"You're not kissing her either" Musa pointed out. Sky's face fell causing the petite fairy to break into laughter. He was just so easy to tease sometimes.

"Whatever" he sighed, picking up the remote and pausing the movie – they'd already missed a few minutes of it and, though he wasn't the biggest fan of Brandon's movie picks, he didn't want to miss anymore. He had to admit that he was really liking this movie. But there was something more important at the moment. "So, what happened with the ex?"

***

Bloom was still half asleep as she splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. She'd woken up around 2 to go pee and she had heard sounds coming from the common room. Ready to attack should it be the witches, she ventured out of her dorm only to find Musa on the couch, listening to music and scrolling through her phone. The girl had insisted that she was fine – she just couldn't sleep that night and had not wanted to wake Tecna. It wasn't much, but it had made Bloom skeptical – she'd noticed Musa had been off lately; less talkative, constantly tired, seemingly having trouble focusing. After that, she'd had trouble falling back asleep, too worried about Musa. Bloom made a mental note to ask Musa if she was okay later, but for now she'd have to work on the knots in her hair.

"Flora, why don't you take your hippy-dippy research and go save a different planet" a shrill voice that Bloom easily identified as Stella's shouted.

What was she complaining about now? Bloom swore Stella always had something to gripe about. Not that she didn't love Stella to bits – she did; without her, Bloom would never have made it to Alfea – but it seemed like every few days she was complaining about something new. First it was that the water pressure in her bathroom wasn't strong enough, then that her room didn't get enough sunlight (she had the largest set of windows in the dorm) or that the food in the cafeteria didn't live up to the ones back at the palace. Then there was the time that she'd gone on and on about her favourite hairspray changing formula – how she could tell since it wasn't on the label, Bloom hadn't the faintest idea. Now, it was something about Flora's plants. Granted, Bloom couldn't entirely fault her for that one. Flora's experiment to find a potion to protect them from those crazy witches was slowly starting to take over the dorm. And, though Bloom was still willing to put up with it if it meant Flora's be able to help them, she did wish she wasn't constantly stepping over plants and could have some of her side of their room back.

Bloom shook her head and sighed before going off to play peacemaker – though to play it between Stella and Flora instead of Stella and Musa might be an interesting change of pace.

"That's not very nice" Flora replied, crossing her arms defensively. Stella was well within Flora's personal bubble, her face contorted into one of rage. Bloom had seen Stella angry many times, but she looked absolutely livid this time. Something serious must have happened.

Getting between them in an attempt to stop Stella from getting physical, Bloom said, "Hey come on, guys! Stop fighting."

"Her flower power has gone too far!" Stella cried.

"I'm close to finishing my new potion. It will protect us from the Witches!"

Stella rolled her eyes and scoffed. Flora, she thought, must be insane if she thought that flower power could protect them from the witches. "Like, homeopathy can work against dark magic. It'll be like, don't you dare mess with us, or we'll hit you with a daisy and go all herbal on you." Stella let out a laugh – even when she was being snarky, she was still hilarious. Bloom and Flora, however, looked completely unamused.

"Well, it's an alternative" Bloom defended. Kind of like homeopathy, although, honestly, Bloom believed that to be total nonsense, but Flora had been working hard to create and perfect this option and Stella should have been on board with someone trying to protect them. Instead of backing down, though, Stella let out an exasperated sigh. "It's out of control! It wasn't enough for her to turn your room into a stinky twenty-four-hour potion lab, she had to invade my room with her veggies."

Stella led the girls into her room. Flowers lined Stella's large windowsills, spilling out onto the ground beside them. "Okay, I gave Flora permission to put her flowers by my windowsill because they need a lot of sunlight. But then she spread herself out and put a bunch of Melanoma Vericosa -"

"Mimosa Vainatosa" Flora corrected softly.

"Whatever! I mean she put them right next to my mirror, Bloom. My mirror!"

Flora winced internally. She truly hated conflict, especially when it was with friends, but this was for the good of the group. "Well, it's normal. They feed off reflected light; your mirror is huge so it's perfect."

Stella's eyes narrowed at Flora. "Ugh! And you think this is normal?!" Stella pointed to the plants by what Stella called her "beauty corner", that consisted of an ornate pearl-coloured vanity and a full-length mirror so she could "check out the final product" without having to go back upstairs to her overflowing closet. The plants in question were, admittedly, wreaking havoc. The larger plant was using its leaves to apply make-up, while the other wore Stella's clothes and danced around in front of the mirror.

"Well, what's wrong?"

"They're trying on my clothes!" Stella shouted.

"That's why they're called "vain"-atosa" Flora replied matter-of-factly. She had said it so flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the universe, that she could almost be mistaken for Tecna.

"I don't fucking care what they're called. Make them stop right now!" Stella was furious. Her beautiful clothes were being ruined and nobody but her seemed to care. "My clothes, oh Bloom, my beautiful clothes" she cried, clutching at Bloom's collar.

Bloom pulled Stella's hands off her shirt and shook the blonde. "Stella! It's not that bad."

Stella gasped in shock. It was one thing to not be upset about it, but to claim it was okay? "Oh yes, it is. They're wearing my shoes. They're even using my make-up. And look at them! They have no taste whatsoever. They're outfits don't even match." She waved her arms, motioning to the plant that wore a floral-patterned skirt and striped long sleeve shirt.

"What do you expect? They're just plants. Tecna doesn't complain about it."

"Oh, is that so?" Stella scoffed. "Well, how about we ask her."

Stella charged out of her room and into Tecna and Musa's. Bloom and Flora exchanged weary expressions and followed her. Musa lay on her bed, pencil in hand and songbook open before her. She wore a shocked expression that was directed at the blonde that had just stormed into her room. Tecna was not around.

Flora decided to jump in before Stella, who still looked like she was ready to commit murder, had the chance to say anything. "Hi, Musa. Have you seen Tecna?"

"N-No, haven't seen her since this morning."

"Are you guys having any trouble with my plants?"

Musa's eyes darted around in confusion at the plant-less room. "We have plants in our room?"

"Um, yes. I asked Tecna to keep a few seeds in the dark inside her closet." Flora made her way past Stella and over to Tecna's half of the room. She opened the door to the large oak closet and let out a small yelp when she found herself face to face with large, angry teal eyes and Tecna, the owner of said eyes, wrapped up in vines. "Tecna?!"

With a small wave of her hand, Flora undid the vines that had wrapped themselves around Tecna's entire body, mouth, and head, leaving only her eyes and neck exposed. "It is about time! I was just looking for a pair of trousers when this creepy-crawly thing grabbed me" Tecna groaned as she pushed past Flora. Musa, though she would agree it wasn't funny, let out a small chuckle when she noticed Tecna was still wearing pyjama bottoms.

Stella, surprisingly out of character, was the one to scold Musa. "She was in there all morning and you didn't notice a thing?"

"I am not in the habit of snooping in other people's closet" Musa replied sharply. "Unlike you."

"Your plant, besides trying to suffocate me, also happened to eat my notebook. Is there any way to get it back?"

"Uh, get it back? Uh… no…" Flora laughed nervously.

"What about a spell?"

"Whatever the ivy eats is pretty much gone."

"Great" Tecna shouted sarcastically. Bloom was a bit shocked at that; Tecna had always been very forward and, to be honest, a bit bland at times. This reaction was very clearly Musa's influence. Bloom looked around the room, uncertain of what to do, and caught Musa's eye. Obviously, Musa had noticed the influence she'd had on Tecna, what with the shouting and the sarcasm, and gave Bloom a shrug and mischievous smirk. "What am I supposed to do, tell the teacher that a plant ate my homework? Why not, she will definitely believe that!"

"This plant nonsense has gone too far" Stella said, earning an agreeing nod from Tecna, "This is a dormitory not a rain forest."

Flora, who was cowering under Tecna and Stella's glares, let out a defeated sigh and slowly got back to her feet. "I understand. I'll move out to Black Mud Swamp, and I won't come back until I'm done with my potion."

"What? You'll move out?" Bloom questioned.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused you" Flora replied meekly.

"You can't move to Black Mud Swamp! There are keekbugs, not to mention subterranean sludge slugs. She should stay, right? Tell her to stay!" Bloom turned her head to look at the girls, urging them to say something. Much to her disappointment, none of them did. Instead, they all just stood there quietly, looking around as if to see who would speak first, until finally Flora left the room. Bloom was beside herself. "This is freaking unbelievable… you guys call yourselves her friends and you let her go like that."

"Her plants used all my make-up!" Stella cried defensively.

"And they ate all my homework!" Tecna added.

"Um, am I really part of this? I didn't even know the plants were a problem until Flora found one of them trying to choke Tecna."

"Yes! Flora's our friend, you guys! So, she's made a couple of mistakes, that doesn't mean she needs to go live in a swamp!" Bloom stormed out of the room, slamming the door on her way out. Musa, Tecna and Stella winced at the slamming of the door.

"She's probably right, you know" Musa said after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, I know" Tecna agreed, though she wasn't happy about it. "Come on."

Musa and Tecna walked to the door, stopping just short of it when they realised Stella wasn't following. They turned back to see the blonde with her arms cross and a pout on her lips. "You can't actually expect me to willingly go back to Black Mud Swamp!"

"Stella" Musa rebuked.

"No! I won't go."

"Stella."

"But..."

"Stella."

"Ugh, fine" the blond groaned, marching past the two girls and throwing the door open.

Bloom, who stood waiting on the other side, turned to them, and gave them an approving nod. "I knew you'd come to the right decision."

***

Flora landed in a clearing near the center of Black Mud Swamp and, with a quick spell, unloaded everything she had miniaturized for the trip – a tent, a week's worth of clothes, a sleeping bag, some basic toiletries and, of course, all her potions equipment. She was determined to finish this potion; she just wished her friends were more understanding or that she had had more space to work in.

By nature, Flora was a nonconfrontational person; she liked peace and harmony and quiet, though the latter was hard to get with Musa and Stella around. She was always a peacemaker - trying to settle Musa and Stella's fights – or the caretaker – reassuring the girls when they were upset or healing them when they were injured or sick; she wasn't a fighter. Sure, she could put up a good fight when she needed to, physically anyways, but when it came to screaming matches, she was completely out of her element.

Stella, she could, for the most part, call out as, though she loved the blonde dearly, Stella tended to be a bit overdramatic and occasionally careless and insensitive. Musa had never been a problem for Flora. The musical fairy was loud, brash, and temperamental, but that part of her never really came out with any of the girls except Stella because Stella was, again, sometimes careless and insensitive. Bloom was very easygoing; she did have a temper, but it only ever came out when someone tried to hurt her or someone she loved – like when Stella had spent that day under the mood swing spell, Bloom had gotten very angry. Though, unlike how Musa or Stella would have reacted, Bloom chose to walk away instead of possibly damaging a friendship. Tecna, much like Flora, was nonconfrontational and did not get angry easily. That's why Tecna getting angry at her was what shook her the most. If Tecna was angry, she'd obviously done something wrong.

She quickly set up her tent and got ready to head off on her expedition. She needed one particularly important ingredient and Black Mud Swamp was the only place in the world to find it – even her home planet of Linphea didn't have this ingredient. And Linphea had tried to recreate the environment of every plant known to mankind to assure their survival should they ever go extinct. They'd been mostly successful, with a few exceptions like Melody's Cherry Blossoms and this one, Magix's Cheerful Gladiolas.

***

It didn't take long for the girls to fly to the outskirts of Black Mud Swamp. Once there, Bloom used that oh-so-helpful voice of nature to direct them to Flora, and they found themselves at Flora's camp within a few minutes.

The nature fairy looked at her friends curiously. She hadn't been expecting them to come after her – she had angered them, after all. "What are you doing here?"

"We didn't want you to be alone in this horrible place" Bloom explained, "and..." Bloom turned her head towards Tecna and Stella, urging them to continue.

"We may have overreacted" Stella said reluctantly.

"Yes" Tecna agreed, though slightly less reluctantly. "I can always rewrite my essay, and get the notes from you or Musa or Bloom."

"Or me!?"

Tecna turned to face Stella, unsure of how to react. She looked at the blonde blankly for a minute before simply replying 'sure' and turning back to Flora, leaving Stella to stare at back of her head.

Flora smiled widely at them – she was so happy they'd come; it would make her search so much easier and more fun. "Thank you so much for coming! Only true friends would follow me into this swamp!"

"Hey… wouldn't miss it for anything…" Stella muttered, pulling her wedges out of the mud. She really should have changed her shoes before they left, she thought bitterly.

Musa lowered herself onto a nearby flat-topped rock, chuckling at the disgusted look on Stella's face. "Yo Flo, we're your peeps. For better or for worse."

"Worse includes the occasional fashion fiasco, right Stell?" Bloom said, nudging the blonde, who still had a foot up and was trying to remove as much mud as she could by violently shaking her foot. Bloom's nudge, much to Stella's dismay – and Musa's delight – meant that Stella was unbalanced and that the shoe she'd sort of managed to clean landed in the mud to catch her, sending mud flying all over her lower leg.

"Bloom" Stella moaned. The redhead whipped her head around and shot Stella a glare. The look successfully conveyed the message Bloom had intended as Stella took a deep breath and quickly said: "You know what they say, all for one and one for all."

"Oh, wonderful. I'll need your help to get this ingredient. It won't be easy. This is it; the Cheerful Gladiolas" Flora opened her field guide to the page for the Gladiolas and turned the book so that the girls could see the picture of the beautiful, rare light blue and purple flower.

Stella stared at the book dumbly. A flower? Flora was going to make them walk through this hellhole for a flower. "Couldn't you have had it delivered? It's a flower!"

Flora smiled patiently at Stella – she'd expected her not to be very enthused about going hunting through the swamp for a flower. In fact, she was especially surprised that Stella had agreed to come at all. "Actually, there's only one left in the world. The BMJL has it."

"The BMJL? Kinda sounds like a hip-hop group" Musa joked.

"No silly" Flora giggled, "It's the Black Mud Junior League. You know, they do volunteer work around here."

"Oh! That's like the Solaria Junior League. I got the sweetest shoes at their silent auction."

"Exactly. This one's run by the undines - little water nymphs. They've ruled this swamp for centuries" Flora explained.

Stella eyes the nature fairy skeptically. "I hate to be that person, but reality check, Flora: you're gonna ask them for the last Cheerful whatever. Why would they ever give it to you?"

"Oh, I don't expect them to" Flora said cheerfully, causing the girls to stare at her in confusion. "That's why I've developed a potion especially for this. All I need is to borrow the flower and use a drop of my invention. I call it the vegal cloner." Flora reached into her bag and pulled out a small bottle. She unscrewed the top, pulled out a dropper filled with a light purple liquid, and put a few drops of the potion onto a nearby leaf. Within seconds, the leaf had started to glow faintly, and the light purple liquid was running off it onto the ground nearby. Soon, a full-sized duplicate of the plant stood where the drops had fallen. "See?"

"Cool!" Bloom shouted, eyeing the plant in amazement.

"That is an incredible potion, Flora. Have you considered patenting and selling it?" Tecna asked.

"Oh no, I don't believe in using science or magic on nature. On Linphea, they've created ecosystems to duplicate plants not native to our planet and I don't believe that they should do so. I'm choosing to put aside my beliefs right now because our safety is at hand."

"We understand. Let's go and get that flower, but we'll leave Kiko here. He'll be safer that way." Bloom dropped the small bunny that sat on her shoulder. "Plus, he can keep watch over your stuff."

"Speaking of being safer, I think that I should stay here too" Stella suggested.

Musa rolled her eyes. "Get your ass moving now."

"But I have this bad feeling. It's creeping me out!" And she did. Stella had this gut feeling that something was off about the swamp; something other than it being gross and dark.

"Any place five miles away from the mall creeps you out" Musa scoffed.

"No, I'm telling you, I feel like there's something out there."

***

The girls walked for what felt like an eternity but was actually no more than an hour. They'd looked high and low for any sign of the water nymphs, always following the water, but so far, no luck. Stella sighed in desperation before turning to her left to search for the nymphs. She'd only taken a few steps when she stepped into what felt like a puddle of mud. She pulled her foot out, almost losing her shoe in the process, and shook her leg hoping to get as much mud off as possible. "Ugh… I can't wait until we find the Nymphs and go back to civilization! I don't understand why swamps are so... so..."

"Swampy?" Musa offered sarcastically.

"Your comments are uncalled for, Musa" Stella grumbled. "Besides, it's not that I can't handle a little swamp."

"Yeah right! You couldn't even handle a kiddy pool if it was in the garden of your castle in Solaria!"

"Please! I've traveled all over the universe" Stella cried, marching forward to give Musa and her jabs a piece of her mind. "I've been in far harsher environments than -" She was cut off when she hit a large rock, causing her to tumble and fall off the small ledge she'd been standing on.

Musa suppressed her laughter in favour of using her hearing to locate Stella, who'd fallen somewhere in the thicket. "She's over there" she told the others once she'd successfully found Stella's muttering voice and headed over to get her. Stella sat at the base of a large tree; mud splattered all over. The princess sat there, brushing mud off her arms and muttering to herself.

"Oh! Are you okay?"

"No! I'm not okay, I'm a princess!" Stella cried, getting to her feet. "I shouldn't be subjected to slimy environments and neither should my shoes! Just find those stupid fucking Nymphs!"

"Shh, be quiet" Flora whispered.

"No! I refuse to be quiet. I bet those nymphs don't even exist! You -" Stella's complaints were cut off by Flora putting her hand over Stella's mouth, turning whatever else she was going to say into a garbled mess. "That's them" Flora whispered, pointing to two small, light blue mermaid-like creatures floating over the nearby lake.

"They're so little. Is that why they call them the Junior League?" Stella joked.

"They're like tiny mermaids."

"Yeah! They are so cute!"

The girls slowly approached the Nymphs, who continued to play near the center of the lake. To do so, they had to enter the water, so the girls removed their shoes and socks and Musa rolled up her pants – she was the only one who's pants were loose enough to, so Bloom and Tecna would have to suffer through wet pants.

"Well hello!" one of the Nymphs said in a small, cheerful voice. "Welcome to the Black Mud Swamp Junior League Headquarters, ladies. I suppose you are here to get tickets for the 'literacy for butterflies tea party benefit'?"

"There aren't any left, but we could put your names on the wait list" the second Nymph continued, not waiting for the fairies to answer them. "Follow us."

The Nymphs led the way for a few minutes, thankfully along the edge of the lake to avoid it getting any deeper, until finally they came to a tall tree. At the base of the tree were three more Nymphs sitting on miniature thrones made of wood and leaves. The two on the sides were the same pale blue as the two that had brought them, but the center Nymph was a vibrant gold. Her eyes were the same shade of violet as the other Nymphs and she wore a small crown atop her head.

"Queen Mareen, these ladies are here to be put on the waitlist for the benefit" one of the Nymphs said with a small bow.

"How wonderful!" the Queen said. Her voice was just as small and cheerful as the other Nymphs, but she spoke with a grace and authority that the others hadn't. "This 'literacy for butterflies benefit' will be an event to remember. It will be bigger than our annual Swamp Palace Tour."

Stella was the first to speak. "The thing is that's not why we're here your..." She turned to Bloom and whispered: "Should I call her your littleness or your highness?"

"Majesty. Try 'Your Majesty'."

Queen Mareen, however, didn't wait for Stella to continue. "So, you must be here to volunteer for our Pollywog Playground Improvement Project."

"Actually, we're here because we need to borrow your Cheerful Gladiolas" Flora replied.

Queen Mareen was taken aback – no one had ever been bold enough to request their Cheerful Gladiolas, the last of its kind. "A big request. May I ask why you need the last flower?"

"Of course." Flora went on to explain about the three witches that had been attacking them since the school year started; about how they'd kidnapped Stella, sent a Minotaur after them, attacked Musa for wandering into the wrong part of town, and messed with sensitive magical technology to mess with Bloom's midterm. She told the Queen about how the flower was the missing ingredient to a potion she was working on to protect them from the witches. Queen Mareen listened attentively, seeming particularly impressed that the girls had fought off a Minotaur when they'd been powerless.

"Now that's interesting because we might need something from you. Please excuse me if this is unladylike but please tell them Mitriel."

"We are in very dire straits. And you girls appear to be good at dealing with monsters."

The girls let out a collective gasp. "What? A monster's after you?"

"Allow me to explain. Do you see that island in the distance?" Queen Mareen said, pointing to an island a few hundred feet towards the center of the lake. "That is Xylith island. It is the one place in the swamp where our food grows. We had full access to this island and it's Xylith leaves until a giant water creature attacked us. Now we cannot go anywhere near it or the monster will eat us."

"Why is he attacking you?"

Queen Mareen looked down at her lap, a sad expression coming over her elegant face. "We don't know. All the creatures in this swamp have lived in harmony for as long as anyone can remember."

"But all that's changed and I'm afraid were in terrible trouble" Mitriel said from her spot on the Queen's right. "We might put up a good front, but the truth is our food supply is so low some of us won't last past tomorrow."

"Things are so desperate that a few nights ago one of our members snuck out over their all by herself. It was brave but foolish."

"Oh no. But what happened to her?" Bloom asked.

"She never came back."

"That's horrible" Flora said sadly.

"I hate to impose but you are big and perhaps you can help us?" Queen Mareen asked, petting Mitirel's head to confort her – the Nymph had started crying as the Queen told them about the missing member.

"Of course, we'll help you!" Bloom said resolutely. The other girls nodded in agreement, though Tecna did mention that they should fly to the island. "We do not know how deep the water gets and, even if it does not, it will be a long walk" she explained.

"And you know we're gonna have to listen to Stella bitch the whole time we're walking" Musa added.

***

As they flew above the lake and through the trees that jutted out from the lake's surface, the girls surveyed their surroundings. They'd seen more trees than they could count, that was certain, the odd bird here and there, and more bugs than trees, but no monster. They knew nothing about the monster except that it was large and lived in the water near the island, so the closer they got, the more their guards went up.

Stella flew behind the group, happy to not be walking in the mud, not happy that she was on her way to fight a sea monster. This had not been how she planned to spend her Saturday. If they survived this, she would treat herself and any of the other girls to a spa day. While the others observed the lake and trees, Stella planned out which spa treatments she would get. She was debating what kind of massage to get when she swore she heard something. "Did you hear something?" she whispered to Tecna, who was closest to her.

"I do not think so."

"Hey girls, I have a thought to offer" Stella said loudly enough for the whole group to hear. "You know how the Nymphs are saying this monster is so way gigantic? Well the Nymphs are teeny, so maybe it's just giant to them and we could take it easily. Right? You know?"

Musa and Tecna turned to face Stella. There was some merit to her theory, but just as Tecna was about to admit that it was a possibility, the water behind her rippled. Musa must've noticed it as well, Tecna thought, because she audibly gasped. "What? You don't think I'm right?"

A deafening roar could be heard throughout the swamp as the monster burst out from the lake, directly behind Stella. It was a crimson in colour, with a large square head. Its eyes were narrow and bright yellow with no discernable pupil. And, it was huge – easily ten times the size of any of the girls, so there went Stella's theory. The girls screamed loudly, their hearts pounding in their ears. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the monster dove back into the lake and was gone.

The fairies floated back to back in a circle. They kept their eyes and ears peeled for any signs of the monster, but things remained eerily quiet except for the croaking of a nearby frog. "Don't separate" Flora instructed, "If we stick together, it can't get us."

Flora had spoken to soon, though, as the monster once again burst onto the surface. This time, it appeared in the middle of the girls' circle, causing them to fly apart. It turned on the spot, closing its large jaw and square teeth around Musa before she had time to register what was happening. Then, it was gone again.

"Oh my God, it just ate her!" Bloom shouted, more out of shock than need to inform the others of what had just happened.

A ripple in the water caught Stella's eye. The monster was coming back; had it already killed Musa? Or had he just dropped her in some gross underwater cave? Whichever it was, she didn't have time to think about that. She raised her arm and a burst of heat erupted from her hand, aimed directly at where the ripple in the water was.

A perfect hit.

Stella breathed a sigh of relief as her target came floating up to the surface. "Oopsie" she gulped when she saw that what had floated to the top was a fish, not a large monster.

"What do we do?"

"Easy, Bloom. We get Musa" Tecna replied as if it were the most obvious answer. "We need an underwater spell."

"There was one Palladium taught us, remember?" Bloom suggested. Everyone nodded in response.

"Everyone together. Ready?"

"Block out H2O, bubble up and go." A bubble appeared around each of the girls, forcing them apart to make space for the bubbles. "And now for a light source." Tecna snapped her fingers and each one of the bubbles lit up.

Tecna was the first to dive into the water, the others followed a second later. She was determined to find Musa; partially because she didn't want to have to explain to Griselda why one of their dormmates was missing, but mostly because Musa was the one she'd gotten closest to and she worried about her and that without Musa, her connection to the other girls would be gone and she'd be alone and friendless again. She looked around, trying desperately to catch sight of the monster. Every second that passed meant less chances of finding Musa. Tecna felt her panic rising and had to constantly remind herself that she needed to remain calm – panicking would not help her find Musa.

"There's the monster. It's asleep" Flora said, pointing to the lake floor. The monster lay curled up, with its gigantic head resting on the ground. Its mouth was slightly open, and Musa could be seen through its sharp teeth.

Bloom took a deep breath. Why couldn't the monster have dropped Musa on the ground instead of keeping it in its mouth? "I'll go in. You guy's cover me." Just as Bloom finished speaking, the monsters mouth started to close, so without thinking any further, Bloom dove in. The monster's mouth closed behind her, leaving her in the dark. She'd never been claustrophobic and if ever there was a moment in her life that she was thankful for that, it was now. Bloom knelt, patting the tongue for Musa. She felt an arm and pulled, bringing the unconscious fairy up into her arms. She racked her brain trying to remember the extrication spell that she'd read in her books.

Tecna, Stella and Flora stood still, mouths agape. Bloom had just dived into the mouth of the beast without a second thought. Now the mouth was closed, and they didn't know what to do – it's not like they were fully trained fairies; they were only in their third month of their first year of school. Time seemed to slow as they waited for something to happen. Then, a faint sparkle poured out of the monster's nostril and Bloom appeared before them holding Musa in her arms.

The monster stirred; whatever spell Bloom had used must've woken it. The redhead looked back, staring directly into the horrifying yellow eyes. She swam forward towards the girls as the monster let out another deafening roar behind her. Just as she reached Flora, she felt Musa stir in her arms. The dark-haired fairy looked up at Bloom, her eyelids still heavy. "What happened?"

Bloom was about to answer when Flora interrupted her, telling the girls to follow her. Rightfully so, too, as the monster was eyeing them hungrily. They swam quickly, hoping that the monster wasn't right on their tails.

By chance, when they broke through the surface, the island happened to be right in front of them. They landed on between some rows of trees and dropped to the ground. The island was filled with trees and had no clear walkway. It was obvious that the last person to set foot on it – if anyone ever had – had been a long time ago.

"So, where do we go to check-in, Flora?"

"Very funny, Stella" Flora giggled, rolling her eyes at the blonde and her need to always make a joke. "Now, let's get the Xylith."

"Do any of you know what a Xylith looks like?" Bloom asked, eyeing the trees around her. They all looked the same.

"The Nymphs said something like, it grows near a family?" Stella yawned.

"That is correct, it grows near trees of the Eversile family."

"Hey Flora, do you know what kind of tree this is?" Bloom asked, placing her hand on one of the trees. It looked just like all the others so if it was and Eversile, they must be close to the Xyliths.

Flora looked at it attentively, then shook her head. "No, but I'm pretty sure it's not an Eversile" she said, followed by a yawn.

"They smell really nice. Like designer perfume" Stella said sleepily.

Bloom started walking. She had no idea where she was going, but it was an island in the middle of a lake, how big could it be? They would eventually find the Eversiles or the Xyliths. She felt completely drained of energy; like she could sleep for the next ten years. "I am so seriously exhausted. I guess it must be from all that swimming."

"I could go for a power nap, myself" Stella agreed.

"It is way too quiet here, do you not think?"

"There are no birds" Musa replied drowsily, all the while playing with the torn hem of her skirt. Thankfully, fairy forms regenerated so the tear wouldn't be there the next time she transformed.

"Yes, that is right. There is no chirping at all."

"I miss my duvet so much right now" Stella commented.

"This is strange. I am going to analyse the air composition."Tecna created a computer around her – an advantage to being the fairy of technology was that she could create any technological items she required on a whim, including computers, speakers, controllers, and more. She pressed a few buttons and began her analysis. Within a few seconds, the results appeared on the screen before her. "Everyone stop breathing!" she instructed. "there appears to be Narcolep Spray in the air."

Tecna turned around to make sure the girls had heard her and was horrified to see the Princess of Solaria curled up in a ball on the ground. If it weren't for the Narcolep Spray, the princess herself would be horrified too.

"Bring an extra pillow and some of those mints, won't you?" Stella murmured from her spot on the ground, rolling herself over to find a comfortable position.

"Stella! Do not breathe!" Tecna clicked the button on the side of her helmet and a mask lowered itself over her face. She kneeled by the Stella's side, shaking her and begging her to stay awake.

"It's okay. I asked for a wake-up call" Stella assured her.

Tecna sat back on her heels and looked around for her other friends, hoping one of them would be able to help her shake Stella awake. It was then that she noticed that Musa and Flora also laid on the ground just a few feet away. "Flora! Musa! Oh no. Wake up. Do not let yourself fall asleep!"

"Sing us a lullaby, Tecna"

"Oh, yeah, and can you tuck me in?"

Tecna groaned. She was about to run over to them and try to shake them awake when she heard Bloom's tired and worried voice behind her. She turned to find the redhead, thankfully, on her feet and stumbling towards her. She pushed herself to her feet and ran to catch Bloom as she swayed in place.

"I've never been this tired before." Bloom's knees buckled under her and she started to fall forward. Luckily, Tecna arrived just in time to catch her and gently lower her to the ground. "Look over there, Tecna."

Tecna looked over to where Bloom was pointing. A thick, disfigured red tree with drooping branches the resembled tentacles stood in the middle of a small clearing. At its base were a half dozen birds and a small Nymph, resting on its roots.

"Look at that ugly tree. That must be where the Narcolep Spray is coming from. Look at all the sleeping birdies. And look at the little nymph. She's taking a nap." Bloom yawned. "What a good idea."

"Bloom!"

"See you in the morning" Bloom mumbled, curling herself up into a ball.

"Oxygen-us Layer-us." Tecna gave silent thanks to Palladium and the booklet of handy spells he'd given them at the beginning of the year. A large green shield appeared over herself and Bloom, but the redhead was still asleep. "Fume-us Remove-us." A vaccuum formed on the side of her shield, sucking the fumes out of the bubble. Slowly, Bloom started to awaken. "Come on, Bloom. You have to help me."

"What did you have in mind?" Bloom asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Tecna explained her plan to Bloom and together they started to grow the shield and remove the fumes until the shield had expanded enough to cover the three sleeping fairies.

"Good morning" Musa said, stretching as she pushed herself off from the rock she'd been using as a pillow. "I could so go for some pancakes."

"Let's get some room service. I think I want the continental breakfast" Stella replied happily. She, too, gave a big stretch before opening her eyes. She screamed loudly when she noticed a tiny red and black bug crawling up her arm. "Ew. Gross, gross, gross" she cried as she tried to shake the bug off her arm.

Musa and Flora laughed at the sight of Stella jumping around and shaking wildly to get the bug off her arm. "Would you chill out? It's just a little ladybug."

"No, it's a zitbug. It's going to ruin my perfect complexion." Stella ran around, shaking her arm with more vigor with each shake. Flora worried she might shake her arm right off.

"That is impossible – Zitbugs live in cold climates."

"We'll tell her that later. Now we need a bubble big enough to cover more of the island" Bloom replied. The girls nodded in understanding and joined their energies - including Stella who had succeeded in removing the bug from her arm and rejoined the girls - to grow the shield Tecna had created and remove the fumes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Bloom asked the Nymph that rested on the roots of the tree as she started to wake.

"Yes. Please excuse my appearance. I just woke up and I cannot find my hairbrush" the Nymph replied.

"Nymphs have hair?" Musa whispered curiously.

"I guess they all have the same stylist too" Stella replied.

"Your friends are worried about you" Bloom informed the Nymph.

"I went to look for food. I searched high and low but all I could find was one Xylith leaf. Then I fell asleep."

Just as the Nymph finished speaking, the island began to shake. "Oh fuck, don't tell me the monster's coming again." Musa was not in the mood to almost be monster food again.

"Actually, my dear, the monster is already here. In fact, we're all standing on it."

Five pairs of eyes looked at the Nymph uncertainly. How could an island be a monster? "This place is not an island at all" she explained, "It's the shell of a giant turtle. And the poor turtle's not evil, she's just under the willow's spell."

"But what is the willow doing? Why would a tree want to put a spell on a turtle?"

"Yeah. What is wrong with that willow? Aren't trees supposed to be peaceful?"

"This one is a Windigo Willow, a type of parasite. It is stealing all the nutrients in the swamp and if it isn't stopped soon everything here will perish" the Nymph replied sadly.

"There is no need to worry. We will take care of it. I mean, how intimidating could a tree possibly be?" As if on cue, the tree came to life with a ferocious growl. "Oh, I spoke too soon" Tecna mumbled.

The tree growled again and whipped its branches into the shield, causing it to shatter. The girls jumped back to avoid the thrashing branches. Bloom aimed an attack at the branches in an attempt to stop them. Unfortunately, it had no effect and the tree continued to flail. Bloom eyed the tree, trying to remember anything her mother had taught and if it could be useful.

"Go for the roots" Flora told her. "Attacking its roots should make it burn."

Bloom nodded and aimed another attack, this time at the roots like Flora had instructed. The tree slowly started to turn to ash. Flora decided to finish the job and hit it, causing the tree to disintegrate.

"We did it!" Bloom shouted and threw herself into Flora's arms, "That was some major flower power, Flora."

With the Willow gone, the birds started to rise and fly, singing a joyful tune. "Ladies listen carefully. Do you hear that wonderful sound?" the Nymph said.

"That's forest birdsong; Flora's cellphone ringtone" Stella replied.

"No, my dear, what you are hearing is no cellphone ringing. It's the true sound of nature awakening."

***

The fairies returned to the Nymph Queen's throne area, lost Nymph in tow as well as the single Xylith leaf that the lost Nymph had found. The Queen welcomed them happily, thankful for the rescue of Lusiz – the lost Nymph. Lusiz told the Queen all about how the girls had bravely fought the Windigo Willow and succeeded in removing it from Xylith Island.

"For centuries that Windigo Willow had been sucking swamps dry, destroying all kinds of creatures. I and the rest of the BMJL thank you for restoring harmony in the swamp."

"I feel bad for the turtle" Stella said, "The spell gave her such a bad rep. It's hard to recover from that."

"The turtle is going to be just fine. No one is going to hold a grudge. In this swamp we believe in fresh starts" the Queen informed her. She looked out at the giant turtle, who slowly swam along the lake, happy to be free of the willow's spell.

"Huh, I guess this swamp is pretty cool after all."

"You feeling okay there, Stell?" Musa laughed.

"It's too bad we'll have to move on, since there was only one Xylith leaf left" the Queen said sadly.

"What? You can't move on; you're the Junior League of the swamp. The creatures here need you."

"It breaks my heart to have to do so, but with only one leaf left, we'll soon run out of food. Even if we ration it and chew slowly, we'll eventually have to travel and find another swamp somewhere else."

"But what about the butterflies and the Pollywog playground?" Mitriel asked forlornly.

"We do not have a choice. We cannot stay."

Flora sighed sadly. She hated the thought of the BMJL leaving Black Mud Swamp and its creatures helpless. She was against messing with nature, but if she could make an exception for their protection against the witches, she could make an exception for the good of the swamp and its inhabitants. "You're not going anywhere, Your Majesty. I have a solution to your problem right here." She reached into her bag and pulled out the small light purple bottle. "This is a vegal cloning potion, it'll be all you need to stay in the swamp." Flora opened the bottle and poured a few drops onto the Xylith leaf that rested in front of the Queen. Like it had earlier, within seconds, a new leaf had appeared. Flora repeated the same action a few more times, and soon there were dozens of Xylith leaves.

"This is incredible! You saved us" the Queen exclaimed happily. "Ladies, we could never thank you enough. You've done so much for us. We would like to give you a special gift as a symbol of our gratitude." With a small wave of her hand, the Cheerful Galdiolus appeared before her. "You deserve to have it in your possession. I hope it helps you with your new potion."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I can promise you; I'll take really good care of it."

***

"Can we please agree to never return to Black Mud Swamp?" Stella moaned as she dropped herself onto the couch in the common room. The trip back had been mostly silent; the girls were far too exhausted from their day to display more excitement over their succeeded mission. "I know I said it was a pretty cool place, but it's just, like, every time we go, we get attacked. Last time it was a troll, this time it's a turtle-island sea monster thing and the tree of Narcolepsy."

"It is not technically a sea monster as it lives in a lake and not a sea" Tecna pointed out. "Actually, it is not a monster either."

"Oh, whatever Tecna" Stella replied, causing the purple-haired fairy to roll her eyes. "Spa day tomorrow. Anyone in? My treat."

"That sounds good to me" Bloom replied happily.

"No thank you. I have to rewrite my essay that Flora's plant ate."

"I'm going to finish my portion tomorrow so that I can clean up the dorm and your room a bit, but it's very sweet of you to offer."

"That sounds nice but I really have to study for my Charms midterm on Tuesday. Besides, I've never been a big spa person."

"Then you don't know what you're missing dahling" Stella giggled. "Well, looks like it's just the two of us" she said to Bloom. Honestly, she was perfectly content with that. It had been a while since they'd spent time together without the rest of the girls. It wasn't that Stella didn't like the others – she did – but Bloom was the one she felt closest to. Plus, they had the added bond that Stella was the reason Bloom was at Alfea in the first place.

Musa and Tecna wished Stella, Bloom and Flora goodnight and walked away, discussing which of them would get to use their shower first. Musa was arguing that she always took her showers hotter so she should get to go first, with Tecna countering that Musa's hot showers steamed up the bathroom making it too hot for Tecna to take hers. By the time they got to their room, they still hadn't agreed.

"I'm going to call the spa to book us in, then shower and sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight" Bloom replied to Stella before turning to Flora. "I'm really happy that you're back and that we got the Cheerful Gladiolus, but wow that was a rough day."

"I'm glad to be back too, but I really am sorry about the mess that I've caused."

"Don't be – you're looking out for us."

"But I angered Tecna. Do you realise how badly I must've messed up to anger Tecna?"

Bloom pulled Flora into her arms and gave her a tight squeeze. "Don't worry about it Flora. Tecna knows she overreacted. And Stella is well, Stella. They love you just as much as I do – everything will be fine."

***

Bloom woke up early – like she usually would today. She hated not being with her family, but she had midterms and couldn't leave. She pulled out the cell phone Tecna had helped her choose at the beginning of the year – one of the newest models at the time with all sorts of features she didn't need. Like holo-video calls; how was that useful when any of the people she spoke to regularly were in her dorm or on Earth where there were no holo-video calls? She supposed there was Brandon, but they didn't speak on the phone too often, and when they did, it was usually just a quick chat.

She dialed her home number and waited patiently for someone to pick up. She'd figured out at some point early on in the year that Gardenia, California was just an hour ahead of Magix, so it would still be early morning, but hopefully her parents would be awake.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she heard the phone pick up. "Hello?"

"Hi mom!"

"Bloom! It's so nice to hear from you." Bloom could hear the smile in her mother's voice, and it made her tear up a bit. She missed them so much. That wasn't to say that she didn't love being at Alfea, she really did – this place was a dream come true for her – but she really missed her parents and the nice quaint, witch-attack-less life she'd had in California. "Just hang on a second, I'm going to put you on speaker phone so your father can speak to you too."

She could hear her mom saying 'Mike, wake up. Bloom's on the phone' and the sound of buttons being pressed.

"Hi honey" her father's gruff voice said. He had been sleeping, likely resting after the end of a shift she realised. Her father, like most firefighters, worked 24-hour shifts, so he'd usually sleep for 12 hours immediately after a shift. She would tell him to go back to sleep, but he'd refuse. He was so stubborn sometimes. Sometimes her mother would joke that they were so similar that, had she not known Bloom was adopted, she'd have no problem believing that she was Mike's daughter.

"Hi dad! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, sweetheart! Any big plans for today?"

"Stella's treating me to a spa day."

"Well that sounds lovely" her mother said.

"Yeah, do you think she'd be willing to treat me to a spa day?"

"I don't know, dad. I think it might be a girl's day kind of thing."

Mike guffawed. "Well that's just unfair – I deserve a spa day."

Bloom could practically see her mother rolling her eyes at her father's ridiculousness. "It sounds like you girls are going to have a lovely day."

"Yeah, I still wish I were home today, though."

"We do too, sweetheart. But you'll be home for break in two weeks and we'll do all our regular Christmas activities then. You'll see, you won't be able to tell the difference."

Bloom chuckled sadly. She really appreciated that her parents had postponed all of their Christmas plans, including supper with their extended family, for when Bloom would be home. But, she'd still know that she'd not gotten to spend actual Christmas day with them, and that made her sad.

Bloom spent the better part of the next hour talking to her parents on the phone about everything: how school and her midterms were going; how the flower shop was; how many fires Mike had put out; random family gossip; how Bloom's friends were doing; and so much more. By the time they hung up, she felt like she'd caught up on everything and that just made her all the more homesick.

***

Stella and Bloom came out of the room in the soft, plush bathrobes the lady at the front desk had given them. Stella had already pre-booked everything they would do today, though she refused to tell Bloom any of it as she wanted Bloom to 'go with the flow' and 'enjoy the day'.

First up, was massages. Stella had booked them a couple's massage so that they wouldn't be separated and could talk the whole time if they wanted to.

The masseuses made them fill out general information sheet and then took them into a small room, where they were left to get settled in. The room was painted in a light pink with a large window overlooking the woods behind the spa. A soft music played in the background and floral scented candles were lit to create a serene atmosphere.

"How romantic" Bloom giggled. "Thank you, puddin'."

"Oh, you're very welcome honey bunny" Stella replied, batting her eyelashes at Bloom flirtatiously.

Stella removed her bathrobe and laid down on the mat, pulling the sheet over her lower body. Bloom, however, simply stood around uncertain. "Well come on, you have to get settled in if you want that massage – and trust me, you want that massage."

It wasn't that Bloom didn't know how massages worked – she did, on Earth anyways – but she'd never gotten undressed in front of anyone other than Andy and her mother. And even though she loved Stella, she probably would have felt much more comfortable if she were with Flora right now. Flora was the only one of the girls who, like her, carried a bit more weight. (2)

Stella lifted her head from the headrest and eyed Bloom curiously. She lifted the sheet higher to cover her properly as she sat up. "Is everything okay, Bloom?"

Bloom took a deep breath. Stella had been so sweet to pay for a spa day and she didn't want to come off unappreciative. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm just a little uncomfortable getting undressed next to... you."

Stella was taken aback. Had she done something to upset Bloom? "Why?"

"It's just that, well, you look like that" Bloom motioned to Stella. "And I look like this" she finished, rubbing her hand over the extra weight on her stomach.

"What?"

"Getting undressed next to you makes me feel... a little self-conscious."

Stella smiled at her sadly. She'd never meant to make Bloom uncomfortable. "Bloom, come here." She reached out her hand for Bloom to take and when, it was within reach, she took Bloom's other hand in hers too. "You have no reason to feel self-conscious. So what if you have a bit of extra weight? That doesn't mean you're not beautiful. You have gorgeous hair and big blue eyes, and you look adorable in every single outfit you wear, even that horrid one you wore a few weeks ago with the mom jeans and the baggy t-shirt. Honestly, if it weren't for the red hair, I would've confused you for Musa from the back. Unrelated, right... You're sweet and funny and smart and loyal and brave and honest and... Anyways, my point is, you're so much more than a bit of fat on your stomach. But you are beautiful, at least I think so."

Bloom smiled gratefully. She didn't know Stella had it in her to give a pep talk, but she was really happy that she'd found it in her.

"Also, for what it's worth, a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed hero seems to think you're really beautiful too" Stella winked. "Now would you get on the damn mat so we can get our massages" she shouted at the blushing redhead.

As it turns out, Stella was right. The massage felt amazing; Bloom came out of it feeling like she was floating. This had been, by far, the best massage she'd ever gotten – there had to be some magical element to it.

"Up next is a mud bath."

"Really? Yesterday you were complaining about mud."

"This is different" Stella dismissed. "Yesterday I was forced into a muddy swamp. Today, I am choosing to cover myself in mud for its benefits. The difference, my dear, is choice."

Once they were covered in mud with little cucumber slices on their eyes – something Bloom had only seen done in TV shows and movies – Bloom let out a contented sigh. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Bloom spoke. "Stell, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Have you noticed anything off about Musa?"

Stella cocked her head pensively. She'd noticed that Musa seemed more tired, but she'd chalked that up to midterm stress. Otherwise, no. And that's exactly what she told Bloom, who in turn told her about how she'd woken up to pee and found Musa out in the common room. Not cramming for midterms like Stella assumed she would be, just chilling out and doing nothing. "I thought it was odd."

"Why? Maybe she actually just couldn't sleep."

"Maybe, but what if it's not just a one-off thing?"

"I don't know, Bloom. You might be reading into this too much. People have trouble sleeping sometimes, it happens."

"I suppose" Bloom sighed, sinking deeper into her mud bath. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"And that's what makes you a good friend, but Musa's a big girl – she can take care of herself."

"Yeah... so are you going home for break?"

Stella adjusted herself to be deeper into the mud bath. She had been planning on going home for break, but the closer it got, the more she dreaded it. She loved both of her parents dearly, but their divorce was making being around them difficult. It had been an arranged marriage, but her parents soon fell in love anyways and then it completely fell apart. Stella had had a lot of time to think about why their marriage hadn't worked and what had caused it, and she came to the realisation that the arranged marriage might be to blame – their love hadn't grown organically, it was forced to grow. And that's why there was no force in the universe strong enough to make her into an arranged marriage – she would choose her husband whether her family liked it or not. "Yes, I'll be spending half of it with my father, half with my mother."

"Is their divorce really so bad you can't spend a week with both of them?"

"Mhm. They just can't get along. Every little thing, no matter how seemingly small, turns into a massive argument. I thought for the longest time that eventually they would work things out because they love each other, but I was wrong." Stella shook her head, trying to clear the negativity that was crowding her mind. She didn't like negativity and tried to keep a positive – one could say 'sunny' - outlook as much as possible. "What about you? Are you looking forward to seeing your parents?"

"Very much so. Today is actually my favourite Earth holiday (3) and it's kind of a bummer to be missing it, but we'll celebrate late when I get there."

"Oh? What's the holiday?"

Bloom laughed – Stella did love any reason for a celebration. She told the blonde about the origins of Christmas – both religious and secular – without going into anything too complicated that would take a while to explain, and about how it was a day to get together with the people you love and exchange gifts and share a nice meal. How it was a holiday for giving and sharing with those that had less than you. She told her about the trees and the lights and how there was an entire genre of music and movies just about it.

"Sounds fun" Stella commented once Bloom had finished her spiel about Christmas. As it turns out, Bloom had spoken about it at such length that it had taken up the entire duration of their mud bath.

"Oops, sorry" Bloom muttered. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's fine" Stella giggled, "we still have mani/pedis and then I thought we could get lunch and go shopping – all on me, of course."

"Stella, I can't let you do that."

"Of course, you can. Consider it my Christmas present to you." Bloom was going to argue more that she couldn't allow Stella to spend that much money on her, but the look on the princess' face told her there was no point. Stella was set on treating her and there was no talking her out of it. So, Bloom went along with it, though she didn't get too much clothes because she didn't want Stella spending thousands of guilders on her. They did have fun, though, trying on any and everything they could find, from the extravagant to the downright ridiculous.

***

Flora stared at the bubbling blue liquid on her desk. If she was correct, her potion would provide temporary safety from the witches – that is, up to 24 hours. She wished she could do permanent protection, but she was a trainee fairy, not a potions expert – yet. There should be enough batches in what she'd made for each of the girls to have ten portions, which hopefully should last most of the rest of the year.

She had just finished adding the last ingredient when her phone rang. She couldn't take her eyes off the potion in case there was a negative reaction, so she merely picked up her phone without bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hi!"

"Clemmy!" Clementine – Clemmy was her childhood nickname - had been Flora's best friend since they were 4, when her parents had bought the house they currently lived in; Clementine's family had been their closest neighbours. They'd been inseparable until their second year of high school, but they'd made up since then.

"I just wanted to make sure you were still coming home in two weeks?"

"Of course, I am – I can't wait to see you and my family."

"Good! Well my mom and I were talking today, and we thought it might be fun to go down to the arboretum with both of our families and have a picnic like we used to when we were younger."

Flora smiled at the happy memories; their families had this tradition where, for every event – a birthday, graduation, anniversary, anything – they would pack a picnic filled with everyone's favourite foods and take a walk down to the pond in the arboretum a few minutes away. It had begun when they were four and Flora's family had just moved in. It was a week away from her birthday at the time and she had no friends or family in the area so, when her mother noticed the blonde mother and daughter duo that walked passed the house, she ran after them and asked if they'd like to come to a birthday picnic for her daughter. And the rest was history. "I would love that!"

"Great! We figured it could be an all-in-one since you're not home for the birthdays or anything."

"I know" Flora replied sadly, "I'm sorry – I wish I could be."

"Sorry?" Clementine chuckled, "Why are you sorry, love? You got into a top school where they're going to teach you great things so that you can go out into the world and help people. I couldn't be prouder of you."

***

Musa had spent the majority of the day studying and was at the point where if she tried to cram anymore information into her brain, it would explode. And then what? She couldn't exactly continue her studies if her brain had exploded. Or at least that's how she reasoned taking a break.

She made her way up to the East Tower. This had become her new regular sanctuary now that the cliff by Rocalucce was tainted with the memory of Riven. She'd come up here and look out at the forest and lake below, though she wished with all her might that she'd eventually be able to return to the cliff by Rocalucce. She had really liked that spot.

Musa pulled out her phone and shot off a text.

_Free for a call?_

Seconds later, the familiar chords to Simon & Garfunkel's 'Cecilia' were playing. Musa laughed; she'd been expecting to wait at least a little bit longer, but this was Cecilia and she was addicted to her phone.

"Hey! I wanted to call yesterday but I thought you'd be studying" Cecilia said as soon as her hologram was activated.

"Ha! I should've been, but no."

"Oh, so I guess I could've called then" Cecilia said with a shrug.

"Also no."

Cecilia shot her an inquisitive look so Musa explained the whole fight with Flora and how it had meant they'd chased her to Black Mud Swamp and ended up fighting a monster and a tree – also a monster. Cecilia stared at her blankly when she was done, unsure of how to react.

"Right… Anyways, are you still coming home for break?"

"That's the plan, yeah."

"Cause I was thinking that maybe I could fly out to Magix instead. I've never been and what better reason to go than to see my favourite person?"

Musa eyed her skeptically; Cecilia had never expressed an interest in Magjx before. In fact, when Musa'd told her that she'd be attending school there, Cecilia's reply had been 'why?' It was only when Musa revealed that the school was Alfea that Cecilia understood. It wasn't about the school, it was about what the school represented: a connection to her mother. "You… want to come here? Why?"

"To visit?"

"I don't believe you. You're the person who once said that Magix was immensely overrated and there were so many better places to visit. So spill, why are you trying to change the plan?"

Cecilia sighed. "Fine. Your dad and uncle are going to be back in town next week and will be hosting the royal family of Isis (4) for the whole week of break. I know you two haven't spoken since the Day of the Rose and if you're home for the visit, he'll expect you to play the perfect princess, which is just going to make everything worse between the two of you."

"Ugh, yeah. That's probably a good call." Musa knew she shouldn't be avoiding her father, but they'd never had a good relationship anyways. He wanted her to be the perfect little princess that acted like a lady and did as she was told, which included renouncing music like he had. And that was something she just couldn't do; music was her entire soul – she couldn't very well give up who she was.

"So, I'll come down?"

"Yeah. We can use my family's suite at the Melody Inn in downtown Magix. I imagine since my family will be hosting someone, they won't be needing it." The Melody Inn was the most popular hotel chain from Melody and each hotel around the dimension had a suite reserved for the royal family at all times. Musa imagined it must be the same for any hotel from other realms that had locations outside of their own realm, but she wasn't entirely sure. She just knew it was the case for her – something that had come in handy more than once when she and Cecilia had traveled to wherever for whichever concert or rave or festival she wasn't supposed to go to.

"Fuck yes! I'll see if I can get any connections in Magix – I'm assuming you haven't found a dealer since you have no one to smoke with… that I know of anyways."

"I do not."

"Well, fret not, my darling. I'll be there in 2 short weeks and we shall get hella high."

"And go to more karaoke bars and clubs than we possible in a week – I haven't done either of those since I left home either."

Cecilia gasped in feigned shock. She knew Musa hadn't gone clubbing or to karaoke since she'd gotten to Alfea – she would've told her, but it did actually shock her a bit. When they were together, they'd lived in clubs and karaoke joints. "Well, don't you worry your pretty little head. We'll set that right."

Musa chuckled before letting out a heavy sigh. "I miss you so much."

"I know, boo. I miss you too."

Musa and Cecilia smiled at each other sadly. They'd been inseparable for so long and the longest they'd been apart was in junior high when they'd had some stupid fight over Gods-knew-what, and that had lasted all of two miserable weeks. Otherwise, they'd been together almost every single day of their lives. "How are things with Brianna?" Musa asked, desperate to get to a topic that didn't make her sad.

"Good" Cecilia shrugged.

"Good? That's it?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's good."

Musa eyed her, unconvinced. "Are you sure? When I asked about her three weeks ago you were all giddy."

Cecilia sighed and gently shook her head. "I don't know, man. It's probably stupid."

"Dish, bitch. What's going on?"

"Bri is great, really. She's smart and sweet and funny and gorgeous, but it's… it's me. I'm shit at relationships. I've been in two and neither of them lasted more than three months."

"So? This is something new for you. That's never been an issue for you before. You're all about trying new things" Musa reasoned. "Might I remind you which one of us was all excited the first time we tried E or when we got our tattoos and you just jumped in the chair without hesitation." Cecilia had gotten a tattoo – a small heart on her inner left wrist – the same day Musa'd gotten her treble clef because Musa was freaking out and Cecilia wanted to prove it wouldn't be that bad. "Or how about your constantly suggesting random restaurants with foods we've never heard of. Or your decision to go skydiving last summer – "

"Okay, okay. I get it. I like new things. But this… this is like serious. Another person is concerned in this – the others were all just me."

"Tell that to my stomach that time you made me try fucking chocolate covered crickets."

"Oh, that was so gross" Cecilia laughed. "But that's different; it's not your heart and feelings. I just, maybe I'm actually just not meant to be in a relationship, maybe I'm just made for a series of meaningless hook ups and fuck buddies."

"Do you like this girl?"

Cecilia paused and looked away from the screen. Musa could see the sadness in her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to reach through the screen and hug her. "Yeah, I do."

"Then at least give it a try. You owe yourself that much."

"Fine" Cecilia sighed. "So, what are we going to do when I get to Magix?"

***

Stella and Bloom walked into the dorm, bags in hand. Though, of course, most of the bags – including half of the ones in Bloom's hands – were Stella's. Musa, who'd gone back to the dorm after having spoken to Cecilia, laughed at the ridiculous number of bags the two were carrying. "What'd you do, Stella, buy all of downtown Magix?"

"No, just a few select items from moi to moi. As you know, I'm all about self-love dahling. That's why I treated Bloom and myself to a spa morning. Although, it would've been amazing if you'd all come with."

"You girls really should have come" Bloom agreed enthusiastically. A spa treatment was exactly what she needed after the horribly stressful simulation exam she'd had, and now she felt like she was on a cloud. Or, at least, she had until Stella loaded her up with shopping bags.

"You know what else would be great?" Stella said, shooting up from the spot on the couch she'd dropped herself onto. "If we went dancing! Oh, I bought the cutest dress and it would be perfect to hit the clubs!"

"Stella, it's a Sunday. We have classes in the morning."

"Oh, come on Bloom. We don't have to stay late – just an hour or so."

"I really don't think that's a great idea. We have that exam tomorrow afternoon in Dufour's class and we don't want to be too tired. You know she's a tough grader."

"I'm with Bloom on this one" Flora said. "I'd love to go dancing some other time, but on a school night just isn't a good idea."

Stella deflated a bit. "Tecna? Musa?" she asked, sounding a little desperate.

'I don't know why you're bothering to ask Tec" Musa laughed. "You know she doesn't dance."

"Exactly. And it is incredibly irresponsible to go out late on a school night, especially since, to my knowledge, clubbing usually includes drinking."

"A drink or two won't hurt anyone. Musa?"

"I'm down to go, but you can't blame me if you flunk Dufour's exam."

"Yes! I knew I could count on you to not be a total buzzkill" Stella said, throwing herself at Musa. "Now, let's get club ready."

"Uhm, can we have supper first? It's only 5:30."

***

Musa chose a dark purple mini dress - this one, surprisingly, was one of her picks – and pulled it on, shimmying it down her body. The dress reached about a third of the way down her thigh and hugged her every curve. This dress, with its tight form, strappy sleeves and low cut neckline was her secret weapon to getting free drinks – a weapon she'd used more than once when she and Cecilia would go out. Not that she planned on doing that tonight, she didn't know Magix as well as she knew Symphony – Melody's capital city. To go with the dress was a pair of thigh high black boots, leaving just an inch or two of exposed skin. Much to Stella's pleasure, Musa left her hair down. It was just so much more fun when she could whip it around while she danced.

"Holy wow. You look smoking hot dahling. Why don't you dress like this more often?"

"You want me to wear a club look to class?" Musa replied, eyeing Stella in her dark green mini dress with see through long sleeves and sweetheart neck. It was a cute dress – not Musa's style, but cute nonetheless. She did love the pair of black pumps that Stella had paired it with, though.

"Okay, maybe not so… so, but skirts and heels."

"Whatever. Where are we going? I'll call us a cab since the last Sunday bus downtown has already passed."

"Some place called 'Inferno' in the downtown core. It's apparently one of the hottest nightclubs in Magix."

"Sounds like it" Musa laughed, walking away to call a cab. While Musa did that, Stella continued to prepare herself for a night out – a touch up of her make up and another quick brush through her long blond hair and she'd be perfect. She was really looking forward to going dancing; she would've loved if the other girls had wanted to come – even Tecna, who would surely refuse to dance – but she knew that she'd have a blast with Musa. For all the aspects of Musa she could complain about, her ability to have fun and let loose was not one of them – the girl screamed party buddy.

The two made their way down to Alfea's main entrance, waving goodbye to the others on their way out. The cab, impressively enough considering how far from society Alfea was, was already there waiting for them. After a relatively quick ride, Musa and Stella found themselves in front of a modern three story building. There was no line out front, it being a Sunday, so they walked right up to the bouncer. After quickly checking their IDs (5), he signaled for the doors to be opened. The large double doors swung open, revealing a very red room.

"Wow, that's a lot of red" Stella commented as she took in the large dance floor, with flashing lights in varying shades of red, orange and yellow. The bar at the back of the room was on a raised platform, with a live fire contained behind glass running along its base. Off to the right was a staircase leading to the lounge and restaurant on the 2nd floor and the VIP lounge on the 3rd floor. The stairs, like the walls, were dark red, though with the low lighting, Stella couldn't actually be sure if they were dark red or black. Finally, on the far left, raised way above everyone, was the DJ booth – it had clear glass sides with the club's logo on the front in, unsurprisingly, red. "They really took that whole inferno theme to heart."

"Fuck, right? Come on, they're playing good music" Musa said, grabbing Stella's hand and dragging her onto the dance floor.

Stella danced along to the beat, laughing as Musa twirled around, completely free of any inhibitions. She had to admire the girls ability to just not care what people thought of her or how she appeared, Stella had never been able to do that – it had been drilled into her from a very young age that a princess's appearance was of the utmost importance and that no one would want an unattractive queen. That's why she always made sure to take extra good care of herself, both mentally and physically – mental health, after all, was just as important as physical health and had a lot of impact on your outer appearance.

Musa let the beat run through her body as she moved along to it. Here, dancing her heart out, was one of the places she felt the most at home, second only to behind an instrument. Here, where the music was so loud that she could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath her and let the sounds wash her mind clear of any negative or intrusive thoughts and feelings, was her happy place. A hand on her arm pulled her out of her happy little world. It was followed by a bubbly voice, easily recognised as Stella's, saying they should get a drink.

"Why did it take us so long to do this?" Musa asked as she followed Stella to the bar.

"I have no idea, but we should definitely go dancing way more often."

"Agreed. It feels like it's been an eternity since I danced like this. I used to go out at least once a week back home and here I haven't gone out at all. It feels so strange now that I think about, like I've been living another life."

"So I was right! You were a party girl!" Stella near-shouted, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Yeah, yeah. I know you're not used to being right, but don't make a fuss over it."

"Oh, shut up. Musa the party girl, what an image."

"What'll you ladies have?" the bartender, a young man in his mid-twenties with strawberry blond hair and dark chocolate eyes asked.

"Vodka cran for me and 2 shots of tequila."

"We're doing shots, are we?"

"Mhm. What's the matter? Afraid your lapse in partying has slowed you down?"

Musa laughed. She'd been out in clubs since she was 13 thanks to a very well made fake ID and Cecilia's incredible make up skills and some strategic clothes: low cut tops to show off what little breasts they had - not that Musa's had grown much more since then - and high-waisted skirts with synched waists to accentuate curves that hadn't quite fully developed yet. With that much experience under her belt, there was no way 2 measly months would screw her over. "Is that how you want to do this? Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you; I may be small but I can hold my liquor and I can definitely drink your ass under the table."

"I look forward to it."

"A Manhattan and two shots of Jamie, please" she said to the bartender, who wore a look somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"I take it I'll be seeing you ladies quite often tonight?" he joked. Though Musa had befriended enough of her local bartenders to know he was probably just being polite, Stella didn't quite catch that. "You bet your cute little ass you will" the blonde said with a wink. She placed her credit card on the table, telling the bartender to "put everything on my card." Gods, what had she gotten herself into, Musa wondered. Sober Stella was already a handful – what if drunk Stella was even worse?

The bartender lined up four shot glasses on the bar in front of them and poured the two shots of Jameson and tequila. Musa picked up the tequila, deciding to get that over with. "Tequila is my nightmare alcohol" she informed Stella, "this is the first thing I ever got really drunk on. I went to this party and the only things they had were tequila and gin – and I loathe the taste of gin – so I drank nothing but tequila all night. I got completely trashed and at some point, I was dancing with my crush at the time, this guy called Sean. He was really cute with these big blue eyes that just… oof. Gorgeous. Anyways –"

"You've really got a thing for eyes, eh?"

"Huh?" Musa asked, cocking her head curiously before thanking the bartender as he placed their drinks behind the shot glasses.

"What were the cheater's eyes like?"

"Micah? Beautiful. This deep shade of green, just a bit darker than Flora's."

"Okay, plus this Sean guys gorgeous blue eyes and Riven's violet eyes… you've got a weakness for eyes."

"Hm, I guess I do" Musa shrugged. She lifted up her shot glass, indicating to Stella that she was ready for it. Stella raised hers in return, clinking the small glass against Musa's before taking the shot. Both girls grimaced as the bitter liquid ran down their throats. "Fucking hell. That's still repulsive" Musa commented as she shook her head, trying to clear the taste from her mouth and memory. "Next."

Once again, the girls knocked back their shots, Stella being the one to complain about the taste. Musa actually enjoyed the taste of whiskey so the shot of Jameson was like candy to her. "That was horrible" Stella said, picking up her drink and leading the way to the lounge on the second floor – hopefully they had snack foods, she was starving. That's what she got for not finishing her supper at school, but it wasn't her fault – she hated chicken pot pie. "So you were dancing with this guy, Sean?"

"Right, so we were dancing and he was twirling me around and I…"

"Oh no!" Stella cried, suddenly turning on the stairs causing Musa to almost bump her and spill her drink. "You did not!"

"Oh yeah. All over him."

"No! That's mortifying."

"Yes, I'm aware. I experienced it firsthand. Anyways, that's why I avoid tequila, except tonight apparently."

"You actually threw up on him?" Stella laughed.

"Yes, Stella."

"Poor guy."

Eventually, Stella settled down once the amusement of Musa's story wore off and she had successfully ordered and received a plate of mozzarella sticks from the restaurant on the second floor. They talked for a little while longer about nothing in particular while Stella finished her food and they finished their drinks. "A well deserved day of pampering, shopping and dancing is just what I needed after the nightmare that was another day in Black Mud Swamp" Stella sighed.

"Don't tell me your calling quits on our night out already? It's only 9" Musa chuckled.

"No way!"

"Although, we should leave in about 30 minutes if we want to make curfew."

"Do you really care about making curfew?" Stella asked, a mischievous grin forming on her face.

Musa paused for a minute before answering. On the one hand, breaking curfew so often was probably not a good idea. But on the other hand, she'd already broken curfew without getting caught so many times, what was one more? Besides, it'd been so long since she'd had a night out. "Not really, no."

"That's what I thought" Stella said, grabbing Musa's wrist and dragging her back down the stairs to the dance floor.

The girls spent the better part of the next two hours dancing and singing along to whatever song the DJ was spinning, stopping a few times to get a drink or go to the washroom. By the time they stopped for a longer break, it was just past 11:30 and Stella's feet were starting to hurt and she was running out of energy. Musa, however, seemed to be fine; something that surprised Stella considering Musa never wore heels and Stella almost exclusively wore heels. "My feet are killing me" Stella whined a second time when they sat down.

"You know what will help with that?" Musa laughed, "shots!"

The dark-haired fairy left the table, returning five minutes later with a tray filled with shots – six to be specific. Stella stared at her incredulously. "Are you fucking insane? Do you want me falling down those stairs?"

"Hey, you're the one that challenged me. You want to party with me, you have to party like me and that includes a fuckton of shots. These are all vodka which is more or less all you've had tonight, you should be fine."

"I should be?" Stella laughed, picking up the first glass. Once Musa had hers in hand, the girls cheered and slammed their glasses back.

"Well, I have no way of actually guaranteeing they won't fuck you up, but if you stick to the same alcohol all night, usually you're okay."

"Didn't you just tell me a story about you puking on your crush cause you drank too much tequila?"

Musa picked up her second glass, indicating for Stella to do the same. "It would take easily another four-ish shots for us to reach the amount of tequila I drank that night" she laughed before throwing back the shot. "It's legitimately a miracle that I only threw up and didn't have to get my stomach pumped."

*Please don't make me get my stomach pumped" Stella muttered, her words slurring together.

"I won't" Musa laughed. "Ready for the last one?" Stella nodded enthusiastically and the two girls drank the last of their shots. "Now how're those feet feeling?"

"Ready to par-tay!" Stella giggled. She hoisted herself up, knocking over the chair she'd sat on in the process. "Less go!" Stella bounded ahead, while Musa picked up the chair she'd knocked over and ran to catch up to the blonde, who was already dancing as she made her way down the stairs.

Another hour was spent dancing and by the time 1 am rolled around, Stella had started complaining that she was hungry again. For such a skinny girl, she ate like a linebacker. So Musa proposed that they get out of there and go get food because, though she'd joke about how much Stella ate, Musa herself could eat quite a bit too. "But first, let's do one final shot" Musa suggested. It was such a shame that none of the other girls had come – they'd have gotten a kick out of drunk Stella, who, so far, had told Musa she loved her and her loose clothes about ten times, had burst out laughing at absolutely nothing six times, and had spent the past hour dancing like it was her last night alive and she was going to party like never before – she'd even done the chicken dance. Voluntarily.

"Yes! Brin' me a shot. I wanoo dance sumor"

Musa made her way to the bar and ordered two shots, requesting that the bartender close their tab at the same time. He explained to her that he'd need Stella to sign, and so Musa went hunting for her. She found her in the middle of the dancefloor, kissing some random guy. "Stella."

The blond whipped around, a guilty look on her face. "Hi. I mede a new frien'." The brown-haired boy she'd just been kissing just shrugged at Musa with a cocky smile. "Hiss name is… Whas yer name again?"

"Joey. Who's your friend?"

Musa rolled her eyes – she should've figured that boy-crazy-when-sober Stella would also be boy-crazy when drunk. "What about Sky?"

"Who's Sky?" Joey asked. "Your boyfriend? Cause I don't fuck with people in relationships."

"He'ss not my boyfrien'" Stella slurred, a frown forming on her face. "An' I don' understan' why - I'm beutiful."

"Come on, Stell. Let's get you that shot and some food" Musa said, grabbing Stella's arm and dragging her away from Joey.

"Yessss! Shots!"

Musa dragged her back to the bar, happy that the blonde's mood had picked up at the mention of shots and food. She was not down to deal with a sad and drunk Stella all by herself, especially since she wasn't completely sober either. Sure, she was nowhere as far gone as Stella was, but she was still quite tipsy. She made Stella sign for the bill and collect her credit card before handing her the shot. "Ready?"

"Fuck yeah! Less do this!" She said, clinking her glass against Musa's and throwing her glass back. Once she'd swallowed her drink, she gave Musa a grimace. "Tha' wass the wors' one yet. I' did naw tas'e like vodka."

Musa caught the bartenders amused grin before breaking out into one herself. "Tha' makes sense, it was water."

Stella's jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide. She inhaled a large gasp, unable to speak for a few seconds. Finally, her brain succeeded in forming words, though they ended up not being very eloquent as the blonde just screeched "you bitch!"

Musa burst out laughing in response. Stella looked so completely scandalized; she really wished she'd thought of getting a picture or video of her reaction. Now to tell anyone she'd have to try recreating Stella's face and she just wasn't sure she could do it. At least she had the bartender to share this moment with – poor guy looked like this was the most amusing thing he'd seen all night. "Come on, Stell. Less get some food."

And just like that, Stella's mood completely lifted and she was bounding away towards the exit, shouting back to Musa that she wanted a burger from The Big Shack - a popular fast food chain. Musa thanked the bartender and ran after Stella, not wanting her to find another 'friend' to make out with.

The nearest Big Shack was three streets away so Stella had her burger within minutes, much to her and Musa's delight. She'd not stopped talking about having a big, juicy burger in her mouth and, frankly, it was getting a bit weird. Musa ordered herself some chicken nuggets, not really in the mood for a burger. It was only when she sat down and watched Stella take a bite of her burger that she realised that a burger actually sounded really good. So, more out of habit than anything, she did what she would've done with Cecilia; she reached over, grabbed Stella's burger and took a bite, then dropped it back down on Stella's tray.

Had she taken the time to think about what she was doing before she was doing it, Musa would've assumed that Stella would either tell her off or be grossed out. Instead, the blonde burst into tears. Musa sat there dumbfounded for a second – not sure how to react to a seventeen year old drunk girl crying like a four year old. The only drunk she'd ever had to deal with was Cecilia, and she was a very happy drunk. Before Musa had had the chance to react and say anything, Stella spoke. "I'm tellin'!"

"Who the fuck are you gonna tell Stella? Iss 1:30 am."

Stella pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts, eventually finding a name that she, in her inebriated state, deemed worthy of hearing about Musa's misbehaving. Musa genuinely thought Stella was bluffing which is why when she held her phone to her ear and started sobbing into the phone that she was upset, Musa could only look on in shock. Stella had to be pretending, right?

But then she picked up the phone and called again. "Skyyyyyy" she whined, "I'm saddddd." And then she did it again and again and again. By the fourth call, Musa was trying to pull Stella's phone out of her hand. After the fifth call – which was probably a lot of static and random words that Sky wouldn't be able to make out – Musa finally managed to wrestle the phone out of Stella's hand. "Look, I'm – " she started, only to be interrupted by Stella's phone ringing. "Iss Sky" she sighed after taking a quick peek at the phone.

Stella lunged forward to grab the phone and quickly put it to her ear. "Sky?"

"Stella, what's going on? I just woke up to five missed calls and five voicemails about how upset you are."

"I am" she sniffled.

"Okay, but what happened"

Stella sniffled a bit more before, once again, bursting out into tears and crying: "Musa too' a bite of my burger."

A long silence filled the air as both girls waited for Sky to speak. Finally, after a few minutes, he managed to utter something out. "W-what?"

"Musa too' a bite of my burger" Stella repeated softly, holding back the tears. "She also trick me ento takin' a shot of wa'er."

Sky remained silent once again, unsure of how to respond. "Are you drunk?"

"Nooooo" Stella denied.

Musa chuckled before motioning to Stella to hand her the phone. The blonde regarded her doubtfully and softly questioned Musa's intentions, but handed over the phone anyways. "I'm verry sorry abou' her, Sky. We wen' out and Stella had a bit of trouble keeping up with me."

"I did not!" Stella shouted, earning a glance from the few patrons in the restaurant. She lowered her voice, embarrassed to have drawn the unnecessary attention. "I kept up juss fine – iss juss that you drink a lot."

"Where are you girls?" Sky asked.

"Big Shack on Oak and 52nd. Why?"

"Brandon and I are gonna come get you."

"Dude, iss almost 2 am. Besides we can take a cab."

"Honestly, Musa, considering the state Stella seems to be in, I'd just feel better knowing that you got a lift back to Alfea from someone you know, not a random cab driver. We'll be there in 20ish."

Musa was about to argue that they didn't need to be picked up, but Sky hung up before she had the chance. She handed back the phone to Stella, explaining that Brandon and Sky were on their way to come get them. This caused Stella to break into a huge smile and emit a squeal of delight so high pitched that it hurt Musa's ears – and her ears were tough, not a lot of sounds hurt them. "Now eat the rest of your fucking burger."

Stella obeyed, but started talking about how Sky was coming to pick her up – never mentioning that he was also coming to get Musa – because he cared so much about her. She talked about that, and nothing but that, all the way through her burger, even while her mouth was full ; something that Musa imagined Stella's etiquette teacher would probably faint at the sight of, Musa's certainly would have. Then again, if their etiquette teachers could see the way they'd drank and danced that night, they'd be scandalized – Stella's talking with a full mouth would just be the cherry on top.

Within a few minutes, the blond and brunet specialists were walking into the burger place, looking around for Musa and Stella who sat in the back corner. Stella spotted them before they spotted the girls – probably because she hadn't stopped staring at the door since Musa had told her the guys were coming. To help the guys find them, she shrieked Sky's name loudly, once again causing the few patrons to stare at her. This time, however, she couldn't care less, she was so happy Sky was there. As Sky and Brandon turned towards them, Stella leapt up from her seat, once again knocking her chair over, and ran towards Sky as fast as her wobbly legs would let her. She almost fell three times but managed to catch herself, until the very end of her run, where she tripped over her feet and fell forward. Lucky for her, she was within two feet of Sky, and the prince managed to catch her. Normally, she would be humiliated, but right now she was too drunk and happy to care.

"Seems like you've had a good night" Sky laughed. The sheer joy on Stella's face at seeing him made the trip into the city in the middle of the night completely worth it – though Brandon might not agree with that.

"Iss better now that yer here" Stella gushed, much to Sky's amusement.

"Ready to head out?" Brandon asked. As cute as watching drunk Stella flirt with Sky was, he really wanted to get back to Red Fountain and his bed.

"Yeah" Musa said, pulling Stella off of Sky. She knew Stella would be mortified at how she'd acted tomorrow morning. "Thanks fer coming to get us even if it was completely unne'essary."

"We're heroes. Can't deny help to pretty girls in need" Sky shrugged.

"Mhm. We weren' in need o' help though."

"I don't know, Stella sounded pretty upset."

"I was, bu's'all better now." She smiled at Sky from where she stood. She wanted to go to him and hug him and maybe kiss him, but Musa had such a damn firm grip on her arm.

The boys had them back at Alfea 30 minutes later. At Musa's instruction, they dropped them off a few minutes from the main gate as to not wake anyone with the noise or lights from their levi-bikes. After he'd helped her off the bike, Stella jumped into Sky's arms, going on about how he was her hero and she loved having him come to her rescue – even if coming to her rescue just meant picking her up downtown when she was trashed.

"Thanks for the ride, guys. Now come on Stell. We're gonna havta sneak into Alfea and not get caught by Griselda" Musa said, dragging Stella towards the gates of Alfea.

"That ol' bitch. Alwayss hasta ruin errythin'."

"Now, I need you to follow errything I do. Firs', take off your shoes, heels make too much noise."

Stella grumbled, but she finished by giving in and removing her shoes, just like Musa had done with her boots. "Okay, good. Now we're going to have to be very very quiet. You can't make any sounds, d'you understand me?" Stella nodded her head in response – no sounds meant no talking; somehow her drunk brain had managed to register that.

Much to Musa's surprise, they managed to make it up to their dorm without getting caught. She had really thought that Stella would, at some point, do something stupid and cause them to get caught – but she hadn't. Musa quietly opened the door to their dorm that was, much like she'd expected, dark and quiet.

Once they were in and the door was closed behind them, Stella turned to her and said "you've done that before, haven' you?" a little bit too loudly.

"For fuck's sake, Stella. Would you quiet down?!" Musa whispered, putting her hands over Stella's mouth. "Yes, I've snuck out before."

"Out?"

Musa sighed. Why was it that drunk Stella could catch that she'd admitted to sneaking out rather than just sneaking in even though sober Stella probably wouldn't have? "Yes, I go out at night sometimes when I can't sleep."

"Whenn you can't sleep?" she asked, remembering her conversation with Bloom in the mud bath earlier that day. "Why cantchu sleep?"

"Thass really not important. Goodnight Stella." Musa moved past Stella to go to her room, but just as she thought she'd gotten out of Stella's reach, a small hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. "Nuh uh missy. Why cantchu sleep? Are you havin' bad dreams?"

"Stella, please."

"No! I wanna know. Yer my frien' an' I care aboutchu. Come on, less go to my room." Stella dragged Musa by the wrist, which she'd not let go of, all the way to her room. Once there, she threw Musa onto the bed and laid down beside her. "Now, tell me errything."

So Musa did, reluctantly at first, but soon she found that it was nice to have someone to unload on. She told her about the nightmares she'd been having about being followed by witches; about how Flora had given her some herbal tea to help and that it usually did, but every now and then she'd have one of the nightmares; about how when the nightmares became too much, she'd go up to the East Tower or out flying, looking for a place to relax – she'd not been able to return to the cliff overlooking Lake Rocalucce, though she didn't tell Stella about that part or about her mid-night encounter with Riven pre-Darcy.

"I'm sorry thas happ'nin'" Stella said once Musa had finished talking. She adjusted herself and pulled Musa into her arms, resting her head on Musa's. "Iss there anythin' else you wanna talk about?"

"No, Stell. Thass pretty much it" Musa replied, giving in to Stella's cuddle and wrapping her arm over Stella's stomach.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, both enjoying the warmth the other provided, before Stella finally spoke up. "D'you think Sky likes me?"

"I do. A lot" Musa replied honestly.

Stella hummed happily at her affirmation. "Thanks. I'm sorry things didn' work out with Riven. I ne'ereally liked 'im, bu' I wan'ed it to work 'nyways cause yer my frien' an' I love you an' I wantchu to be happy."

"I love you too Stella." Musa sighed as she cuddled into Stella's chest and Stella pulled her in tighter, and within minutes, both girls had fallen fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) This is true. If you take a sip every time Westley says 'as you wish' or something sarcastic/snarky/witty, you'll be close to drunk by the end of the movie. Add in anytime Buttercup says 'farm boy', Inigo says the whole 'my name is Inigo Montoya' spiel, Vizzini says 'inconceivable', Fezzik rhymes, bratty Fred Savage interrupts the story or true love is mentioned and you might die of alcohol poisoning.
> 
> (2) My version of the girls has them with some more normal bodies. Flora is the biggest of the girls with a decent amount of fat and is very curvy, Bloom has a bit of fat on her stomach and thighs, Stella is very toned and lean because she's quite vain and takes very good care of her physique, Musa is naturally small but is also quite active what with all the dancing and Tecna is naturally thin with a very boyish physique.
> 
> (3)I know Bloom tells them about Christmas for the first time in season 5 but let's ignore that. It seems very odd to me that she loves Christmas so much, but it takes her 5 years to tell her friends about a holiday she loves.
> 
> (4)For those that don't know: Isis is the 4kids home of everyone's favourite brat, Diaspro.
> 
> (5)The drinking age in Magix is 16.


	12. Miss Magix

"Do I really have to do this?" Musa moaned.

"Yes, you agreed to it."

Tonight was Musa's blind date – the one she'd been forced into agreeing to let Stella set her up on. Stella had found some guy called John who-knew-where and was insistent that Musa would fall head over heels for him.

"Trust me you'll forget all about Riven after you meet John" Stella assured her for the fifth time since she'd told Musa about the date. Ever since they'd gone out last week and had a very brief discussion about boys, Stella had seemed to have been determined to get Musa out on a date. "Now come on, let's get you changed."

"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed now?"

Stella eyed Musa skeptically. The dark-haired fairy wore torn skinny jeans and a baggy red sweater – there was nothing right about how she was dressed in Stella's opinion. "You're going to a nice restaurant. You have to look presentable. Also, John is the son of a duke and I sold him on this by telling him you're a princess."

Stella had rambled that last bit quickly, hoping to slide it past Musa who she knew would not be happy with that detail. Unfortunately, it had not worked and Musa now looked at Stella with a very unimpressed face. "Why would you do that? He's going to be expecting someone like you."

"What's wrong with being like me?" Stella replied indignantly.

"Nothing" Musa sighed, "but I'm not like you."

"Oh relax, Musa. You're pretty, you're funny, you're smart, what's there not to like?" she shrugged, pushing Musa onto her bed before she began to dig through the musical fairy's closet. "Besides, I didn't lie – you are a princess."

Stella rifled through the closet, pulling out anything that looked like a dress. She was surprised to see that Musa owned more than expected, though they were mostly party dresses. She was about ready to give in and put Musa in one of her dresses when finally, she came to one that would be perfect. "Wow! I can't believe you own something like this" Stella gasped as she pulled out a fitted knee-length black dress with a V-neck and long see-through balloon sleeves. "This is perfect."

"Really?" Musa asked skeptically, scrunching her nose. "It's not really me. And if you want me to date this person, shouldn't they meet a version of me that actually looks like me?"

"It's a beautiful dress, you're a beautiful girl. What more does he need to know on a first date?" Stella laughed. "Besides, why'd you bring it if you don't even like it?"

"In case anyone from my family came to Magix and I was forced to see them" Musa explained as she pulled the dress out of Stella's hands and put it on. "Why did you have to pick a Wednesday for a date anyways?"

Stella looked at Musa's back curiously "Didn't you say you were having supper with your aunt, like, two months ago?"

Musa's eyes went wide as she realised the mistake she'd just made. She had told the girls she was having supper with her aunt when she'd gone to Red Fountain the night they'd snuck into Cloud Tower. Thankfully Stella couldn't see her face. "I did say that, yes" Musa replied, keeping her voice level.

"You went in jeans – I remember cause I told you that jeans weren't appropriate for supper with a member of the royal family and you flipped me off. So where were you really?"

Musa exhaled. She'd been meaning to tell the girls that she'd been hanging out with the guys without them, but she just hadn't found the right time. And why was now the time Stella chose to remember things? "So, what shoes should I wear with this?"

"Don't try to distract me – where were you?"

Musa sighed – Stella was not going to let it go. "With Sky at Red Fountain."

Stella stared at her blankly, her eyelashes batting quickly. "You're hanging out with Sky alone?"

"It's nothing like that" Musa assured her.

"No, of course not. You'd never do that to me" Stella mumbled quickly.

"I wouldn't."

"Right." Stella tried to hide her jealousy. She wasn't Sky's girlfriend, so she had no reason to be jealous or upset, but she was a bit hurt that he'd wanted Musa there and not her. "So why were you and Sky hanging out without the rest of us?"

Musa let out a small laugh and shook her head. "We're friends – I think of him like a brother; I'm definitely not trying to swoop in and steal him from you. I'm the only one he asked that night because he wanted to ask me about you."

"About me?" Stella asked. Her eyes had gone wide and a light red had dusted her cheeks. "What did he want to know?"

"I can't tell you that, Stella."

"Why not?" the blonde pouted. She dropped herself onto Musa's unmade bed and crossed her arms. "You're supposed to be my friend."

"For fuck's sake" Musa groaned. "Stop acting like a child." Musa leaned against the closet door and rested her head against the wall. She looked over at Stella and noticed that the fairy had stopped pouting and was now twirling her thumbs and staring at the bed. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure of how to phrase it or if she should even ask. It occurred to Musa that she'd never seen Stella this uncertain before. "Look, it was nothing bad. He just wanted to ask my opinion about something."

"Oh" Stella whispered. She had stopped twirling her thumbs, instead opting to bite her lower lip. She still looked like she wanted to say something. Musa waited with uncharacteristic patience; she knew what it was like to want to say something and not find the right words. Hell, that was half of her life. Eventually, Stella found the words and courage, and quietly asked: "but you're sure he likes me?"

Musa wasn't sure whether to find it endearing or annoying how worried Stella was about Sky liking her. It was painfully obvious every time the prince was around her that he was completely enamoured with her. Not to mention the fact that Musa had told her just last week that she was certain that Sky liked her. "Yes, Stell. He likes you. I'm completely positive about that."

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yeah" Stella nodded. She pushed herself up from the bed and looked at Musa intently. "Now which shoes should we pair with that dress? And what are we doing with your hair and makeup?"

***

Stella had decided to take matters into her own hands. She usually believed that the man should make the first move, but she wanted Sky and she was fairly certain he wanted her. Musa seemed pretty confident that he did, and the musical fairy had no reason to lie to her about that. Yet for some incomprehensible reason, Sky had not made a move yet. So she would.

She'd managed to convince Musa to tell her Sky's dorm number and before she knew it she found herself standing in front of Red Fountain. The beige building loomed tall and terrifying in front of her, but she wasn't backing down. She'd already come all this way – too late to turn around. Besides, there was no reason to be scared. Sky was just a guy – a wonderful, kind, funny, brave, handsome guy – he wasn't intimidating. And this was just a crush so if he didn't feel the same, she'd survive. Never mind that her heart fluttered every time she was around him or that he could stop her dead with a smile or a laugh, and it definitely didn't matter that he made her feel like she was walking on a cloud – weightless and fearless.

She would survive if he didn't feel the same.

She had to.

It would just hurt.

A lot.

But she'd survive.

Before she got to that, though, she should figure out what her battle plan was. But Stella being Stella – impulsive – she didn't. Instead, she marched into Red Fountain, head held high. It was only once she'd passed the threshold of the school that she realised she'd never actually set foot in Red Fountain and had no idea where room 317 was.

***

Musa entered the restaurant apprehensively – why had she let Stella set her up? She wasn't interested in dating right now – she didn't want a boyfriend or girlfriend. Not that Stella knew setting her up with a girl was also an option. She rounded the corner of the entrance hall of the sleek restaurant that either this John guy or Stella had chosen and came face to face with the hostess stand.

"Hello, welcome to Tulip. Do you have a reservation?" asked the hostess, a young dark-haired and dark-skinned woman that couldn't have been over twenty-five.

"I'm supposed to be meeting somebody. A, um, John. I don't know his last name."

"Are you Miss Oshiro?" Receiving a nod, the hostess indicated for her to follow. "Mr. Hopewell has already arrived."

Musa took in the elegant restaurant – the sleek black chairs, glass tables with slim, tall vases of minimalist flowers surrounded by candles. The chandeliers on the ceiling were dimly lit, just enough to say that they were there but not enough to help with the lighting in the restaurant. Instead, most of the light came from the candles on the tables making each table feel like it was its own little world.

Musa had always felt out of place in ritzy places like this. Sure, she knew how to behave properly – which fork to use for what and all that – she'd taken etiquette classes, after all. That didn't change the fact that she just wasn't an upscale type of person – she preferred a nice but low-key restaurant or a good old-fashioned greasy spoon.

The hostess led her around the water feature in the centre of the restaurant to a table where a young man with dark brown hair sat sipping on a nearly empty glass of scotch. He wore a smart, but understated, dark blue suit that perfectly accented amber eyes that were hidden behind metal-framed round glasses. Knowing Stella, she had instructed him to wear something to make his eyes pop now that the blonde knew Musa had a weakness for eyes. And he did have nice eyes, though Musa preferred the jewel tones: greens like Flora's, Cecilia's and Micah's or blues like hers and Sean's or violet, which she'd only ever seen on Riven and that singer from the café.

"Musa?" He said, getting up from his spot to shake her hand. It was clear from the way he spoke and carried himself that he'd been raised in a noble family. "It's wonderful to meet you; Stella had said you were pretty, but you're even more beautiful than I'd expected."

"Thank you" she replied politely. "It's nice to meet you too, although Stella didn't actually tell me all that much about you."

A young woman wearing black dress pants and a white blouse came by to take Musa's drink order and ask John if he'd like a second glass. She wore her dark hair in a high ponytail and had vibrant blue eyes that shone from behind her large, dark-rimmed glasses. Musa laughed internally; the waitress, she thought, was more attractive than the guy Stella had set her up with.

"She didn't tell me all that much about you either. I know that you're pretty, your name and title – princess. Otherwise, you're just as much a mystery to me as I am to you" John said once the waitress had gone.

"Glad I'm not the only one that was under informed" Musa laughed, loosening up a bit now that she knew that Stella had left him more or less just as clueless. "So, fill in the blanks for me."

John told her about how he was studying to be an engineer – he didn't specify what field and she didn't ask, assuming she'd have no idea what he was talking about. He was an only child, born to wealthy parents who encouraged him to study hard and instilled a good work and study ethic. His parents had been a huge influence on his life, he explained. Musa wanted to joke that hers had been too, but not quite in such a positive way – at least not in the last 10 years. It wasn't the right time though – she didn't even know this guy, no point in sharing the stories of her bad family life. Though, even if she'd wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to as John kept talking, completely unaware that she may have said something.

***

Once she'd finally located room 317, Stella came to a second realisation – she didn't even know if Sky was here. She could be knocking on the door to a completely empty room – he could be training or studying somewhere else in the building. Or worse, he could be on a date with someone that wasn't her. She leaned her ear against the door, thankful that the hall was deserted. She had been hoping to make out the sound of his voice, but she heard nothing. What she wouldn't give to have Musa's hearing at this very moment. Could Musa use her sonar hearing over the phone? Stella briefly considered calling her, but that would interrupt the date she'd worked so hard to organise.

"Whatcha listening for?" a deep voice asked from beside her.

Stella yelped, jumping up. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and considered making a run for it, but she was no coward. Slowly turning around, Stella looked up at the striking prince. He wore black shorts and a red sleeveless shirt, and he was drenched in sweat. His usually perfectly coiffed chestnut hair was slicked back, probably from him having pushed it out of his face. His face was flushed red, so Stella could only assume he'd been training. Despite his less than perfect state, he was still gorgeous. Stella knew had Sky caught her coming out of a training session drenched in sweat, she'd be mortified. He, however, was completely at ease and she was once again struck by how confident and comfortable he was with himself.

"Sky. Hi" she said, her voice a whole pitch higher than usual.

"Did you hear anything interesting?" Sky smirked.

It may have been his calm yet amused demeanor or how unbothered he was that she'd randomly shown up at his dorm, but Stella found herself relaxing instantly. "Not much – the doors here must be really thick."

"Well, that makes sense actually. Brandon and Timmy were studying in the library when I left for my run and I'm assuming they'll be there until late."

"So... You're the only person here right now?"

"Looks like it" he laughed. "Do you mind hanging out while I take a quick shower? I don't want to subject you to more sweat than you've already been subjected to."

"Yeah, sure" Stella replied happily, following him into the dorm.

***

It was only when the waitress came back with their drinks and asking if they were ready to order that John stopped speaking. "I'll have the filet mignon – blue please."

"Wonderful. And for you, miss?"

"She'll have the mahi-mahi" John informed the waitress, speaking over Musa. Musa's eyes narrowed, glaring at John. She was going to choose the mahi-mahi anyways, but she could damn well speak for herself.

The waitress turned her eyes towards Musa as if to ask if that was what she wanted and Musa nodded in confirmation. John noticed none of this; he had instead occupied himself unfolding the silver napkin and placing it in his lap. The waitress wrote down Musa's order and, as she was putting away her order booklet and picking up the tray she'd brought their drink on, was finally noticed by John. He didn't say anything but glared at her. Once the waitress was gone, he turned to Musa and scoffed. "Can you believe the morons they hire sometimes?"

Musa was completely taken aback. For someone who was, admittedly, temperamental, she was so shocked that all she could was stare at him.

"Anyways, where was I?" he asked before tossing back the rest of his glass of scotch. "Right, my parents. They really instilled good core family values in me – I believe wholeheartedly in the idea that a child should have a mother and father, and that a wife –" The waitress's passing had silenced him. He'd turned his head to look at her and stared at her as she spoke to the table a few feet away. As she made her way back towards them, he snapped at her.

Musa's mind reeled; how could Stella think she'd be okay with a guy like this?

"Did you not notice that my glass was empty?" he near-shouted as the waitress approached them.

"Excuse me?" she said, maintaining a polite demeanour.

"My drink is empty. Bring me another."

"Of course, sir" the waitress nodded and grabbed the glass before running off.

***

Stella sat on the couch awkwardly, taking in the plain room around her. Maybe she should refer her decorator to the guys; this room was in desperate need of a good eye. Or maybe she could do it – that would be a pretty good reason to spend more time around Sky. She started thinking of how she would spruce the place up. She assumed that, much like at Alfea, she couldn't get rid of the couch as it was school property, but she could work around it. Although the couch at Alfea was much nicer than Red Fountain's. Maybe she'd get some plants – something sturdy that the boys couldn't kill – and a few wall pieces. Something a little funky, maybe a nerdy piece for Timmy.

True to his word, Sky's shower was quick and within 5 minutes he was sitting beside her wearing a clean pair of grey sweatpants and a forest green t-shirt. "So how'd you know which dorm was ours?" he asked, not wanting to assume she was here to see him. Maybe she'd been looking for Timmy.

"I, um, guilted Musa into telling me."

Sky laughed. He'd already known that – Musa had texted him to tell him that she'd told Stella about movie night and how Stella had reacted. He didn't know she'd not given him all the details, opting not to tell him about Stella's insecurities.

Stella laughed too for the first time since he'd caught her and he felt his heart swell. He loved the sound of her laugh and the way her eyes lit up, like they contained a million tiny stars.

"So why did you show up at my dorm unannounced on a Wednesday night?"

How could Stella explain to him why she was here without sounding like an obsessive wack job?She wanted to see him? She wanted to see that he was here, not out with some other floozy? It's not like she was dumb, she knew what kind of reputation Sky had last year. He was well known for his ways with women and his, she supposed you could call them conquests though the idea of doing so made her stomach turn.

Coming here had been a terrible idea – she should've stayed at Alfea and hung out with the other girls. Or, at least, she should've come up with a plan first.

She looked up at the prince who watched her expectantly. Her amber eyes met his deep chocolate brown eyes and suddenly she found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "I really like you, Sky."

His eyes went wide at how forward she'd been. The princesses he'd met in the past liked to be chased.

Stella realised a split second later what she'd said and began nervously rambling. She couldn't deny what she'd said because then she'd have to come up with another reason for being here. "I know you like me, well, at least I think you do and, well, I want to know why you haven't made a move yet cause I know the reputation you have with women and I just don't get it. Do you not think I'm good enough? Cause if it's that, I'd like to know why. I mean, Solaria is one of the richest and strongest realms in the dimension – a more than worthy ally for Eraklyon and I'm a great person – at least I think I am, but the girls seem to agree and –"

"Stella" Sky interrupted. He gave a small chuckle and watched with amusement as the blonde took a breath and tried to stop herself from blushing. He didn't know what to say. He liked her – a lot – but there was a whole complicated situation that he couldn't explain to her. He'd stopped dating and sleeping with other girls – none of them compared to Stella anyways. And here she was, the object of his attention, sitting on his couch admitting her feelings for him and he couldn't jump in, kiss her and tell her that he didn't want anyone but her.

But he couldn't flat out reject her either; he had hope that she'd still want him once this ordeal was over. Even if it was just for sex and he'd have to push back his feelings for her – he'd do anything to be close to Stella. "I do like you. It's just…"

"What?"

"It's complicated. I can't explain it to you – "

"Try. I'm not as dumb as people think I am."

"You're not dumb, Stella. And that's not why I can't explain it – and it's not that I don't want to. Believe me, life would be so much easier if I could tell you everything, but this involves other people and their lives and it's… it's not my choice."

"I don't understand… Are you in an arranged marriage or something?" Stella knew some places still did arranged marriages – maybe Eraklyon was one of them? Solaria would never be again; her father had promised her after he and her mother had separated.

"Me? No. No. Definitely not."

"Okay. So, it's complicated?"

"Yeah" he sighed.

"But you like me?"

"Yeah."

"As more than a friend?"

"Yes" he laughed.

Stella felt her heart surge with happiness at that confirmation – he liked her!

"Is it a complication that could change one day?"

"I really hope so. I know it'll change; I just don't know when."

Stella didn't reply – she didn't like when things didn't go her way. Being the crown princess of Solaria meant she pretty much always got what she wanted and right now she wanted him. But unlike the clothes and shoes and accessories and perfumes and whatever else she could want; Sky was worth waiting for. She was certain of that.

"If you're willing to, we could take it slow?"

Sky held his breath; he liked Stella but he was realistic about who she was. Occasionally impatient and spoiled, she probably wouldn't be willing to wait around for a guy when she could have anyone she wanted. When the princess responded with a nod, it felt like a weight lifted off him. And, yet, simultaneously another weight had replaced it. She thought he was worth the wait; hopefully she'd feel the same when this was over.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something? You know, since you're here."

"That sounds good" Stella nodded. "Do you think we could order something? I kind of skipped supper when I decided to come here."

Sky laughed as he handed Stella the take-out menus. He laid out the movies they had in the dorm for Stella to pick one. Once she'd selected a movie and he'd called to order their food, he sat back down on the couch, a foot between him and the princess.

Stella looked at the distance between them and, knowing that he felt the same she did, decided she didn't like said distance and that there was no harm in being closer to him. She scooted over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the questioning look that Sky gave her. "Taking it slow doesn't mean we can't cuddle" she explained. He momentarily considered her logic and, deciding that she was right, brought his arm up around her as he rested his head on top of hers.

***

Musa so badly wanted to follow the waitress's lead and get anywhere that wasn't at this table, but she knew she'd never hear the end of it from Stella. She'd suck it up and then tell Stella that the next time she wanted to set Musa up, she would have to do it from beyond. Thankfully, their main courses should be out soon and then she'd be able to leave and never have to be around John again.

"So, what's studying engineering like?" Musa asked before John could speak. She did not want to hear more about his beliefs about families – she didn't need to know what they were; she'd never have one with him.

"It's great for the most part" he started. Musa didn't ask what he meant by that because she knew she wouldn't be able to, or even need to. "I love what I'm studying but I've noticed it has a few downfalls socially. Women don't want the smart, nerdy guy. All they want is a meathead jock who'll fuck them and then never talk to them again."

Oh, boy.

The waitress brought out their plates and informed John that his drink would be up shortly. He rolled his eyes at her, but didn't bother saying anything presumably feeling that acknowledging her was beneath him. Musa made a point of thanking the waitress, hoping to make up for his jackass behaviour.

"You know, it's like, all I want is a nice girl that loves me for me, but girls don't care about that. And, actually, it's not just girls" he said between mouthfuls of his filet mignon. He spoke with his mouth full – had he not been raised properly? How was this guy the son of a duke? Musa was never one for the etiquette rules, but she really hated when people chewed with their mouths open. "People in general look down on the smart, nerdy guy. It's just particularly bad with girls. I'm a nice, good-looking guy, I know that; I've got money and connections. By all means, I'm a catch, but the minute girls find out I'm a nerd, they lose interest."

Musa wanted nothing more than to smack John upside the head. What an obnoxious twat.

A young girl that was not their waitress made her way to their table with John's drink, amongst others, on a tray. She held the tray unsteadily, as if she were not quite comfortable with it (1). She was a mere foot from their table when she stumbled, sending the glasses crashing to the ground and, as it would happen, onto John.

Musa and John's faces dropped open in shock, but their reaction beyond that was worlds apart. She shut her mouth, using all of her will power to resist the overwhelming urge to laugh. He, on the other hand, began to shout at the young girl, who was apologising profusely.

"… Dumb fucking bitch! Why are you even fucking working here if you can't carry a tray with a few glasses on it? Who the fuck thought hiring your fucking useless ass was a good…"

Musa barely registered most of what he said as her fury rose. She could shut up and tolerate his whining and obnoxious personality for Stella's sake, but this was too much. "Would you shut the fuck up!"

"Excuse me?" he spat.

"It was an accident – although considering how you treated the waitress earlier; I'd consider it karma more than anything. There's no point in going off on the poor girl." Musa glared at him for a second before continuing. "This is fucking ridiculous. You've been horrible to the waitress all night and you've spent a considerable amount of this farce of a date talking about yourself and complaining that girls don't like you."

"Well, they don't" he argued weakly, too shocked by Musa's outburst to react appropriately.

"You think girls don't like you because you're a nerd and I want you to know - no, I need you to know - that that's not true. It's because you're a fucking asshole." Musa picked up her purse and opened it, pulling out a small wad of cash that she'd brought with her and giving a fifty to the young girl who had just watched Musa yell at her date. "As an apology for this garbage person" Musa said, motioning to John. Next, she walked around the restaurant until she found her waitress. She settled her bill and gave the girl a more than generous tip and a sincere apology. When she left, all she could think about was going off on Stella for putting her through that.

***

Bloom knocked on Stella's door – it was almost time to get going for breakfast and the blonde had still not emerged from her room. Usually by now, she would be on the couch brushing her hair obsessively or shouting through the dorm that she couldn't find the right outfit or – rarely, but still occasionally – shouting at Musa, who may or may not still be in bed, that they were going to miss breakfast. Today, however, she'd yet to emerge from her room and had not made a peep. "Stella?"

"What?" whined a voice from the other side of the door.

Bloom pushed the door open to find Stella still in bed. She wore her pajamas, an unmade face and her hair was still tangled from sleep. Her eyes were closed, though Bloom knew she was awake since she'd responded just a second ago. "Stella, get up. We have to get going."

Stella made a noise that may have been a grunt, but Bloom couldn't be entirely sure; it could've also been a moan or a groan or, for all Bloom knew, she could have shrieked. It was impossible to tell as Stella had rolled over, stuffing her face into the pillow and making whatever sound she'd made.

"Stella! Come on, get up!"

"No" Stella moaned, accentuating the 'o' to last close to ten seconds.

"And why not?"

"I don't feel well" Stella muttered, curling herself up into a ball and pulling the blanket up to cover her chin.

"Is she coming?" Musa asked, poking her head into the room.

"No, she's not feeling well."

"Well that's not good" Flora, who stood beside Musa, said. She made her way over to the blonde and rested a hand on her forehead. "You're really heating up – you should probably head down to the nurse."

Musa was a bit annoyed. She'd not gotten to yell at Stella last night because the blonde hadn't there when she'd gotten back from her nightmare date and now she was sick. Had John called Stella to tell her what had happened? If this was Stella avoiding her hoping that Musa would be over it when they finally saw each other, it would backfire. Every time Stella avoided her it just fanned the flames of Musa's anger.

"That's probably a good idea, Flora" Stella replied.

"Do you want us to help you down to the infirmary?"

"No, I'm okay. You girls go ahead."

***

Palladium stood before the class in the newly repaired Magical Reality Chamber. He announced that the Chamber was operational again after two long weeks. "Half of you will take it today and the rest will go tomorrow. Now I don't think I have to remind you, but this is the most important test of the year, it will count as half of your final grade. I hope you're all ready."

Around the room, multiple girls commented on how unprepared they felt. Tecna rolled her eyes at their comments; these girls had had two extra weeks to study, how could they still not feel prepared?

"Let's see" Palladium said, picking up his pen. He closed his eyes and circled over the paper, landing on a random name. "Princess Stella is up first."

"Professor" Bloom said, raising her hand as she spoke. "She wasn't feeling well this morning and went to the infirmary."

"Very well. Please tell her I expect her to take the test first thing tomorrow. She must pass this test. Her grades in this class are already quite low. Next up would be -" he once again closed his eyes and picked a name at random, "Flora."

***

Bloom made her way to the infirmary at the back of the main hall. She walked along the short hall overlooking the school's back gardens before coming to the door of the nurse's office. The infirmary was quite large, though the nurse's office itself was small. Bloom could see through the open door at the back of the office to the rows of beds that would house sick and injured students.

The head nurse, Ofelia, was an older woman – though not as old as Faragonda – with orange-red hair and soft blue eyes. She looked at Bloom over half-moon shaped glasses. "Hello there. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing ma'am," Bloom replied, closing the door behind her. "I'm here to check on my friend, Princess Stella; she wasn't feeling well this morning. Is she any better?"

"This morning? You're the first student to walk through that door today, which is kind of odd in itself because when there are exams, I normally have a crowd in here" Ofelia informed her.

"Oh, um, okay. Thanks" Bloom managed to spit out. She stormed back to the dorm, furious that Stella would lie to them. She entered the common room where Tecna, Flora and Musa sat on the couch. "Guess where I just went. The nurse's office. It turns out Stella was never even there! She totally lied to us. She's got to be hiding out, avoiding the exam. Right?"

The girls looked at Bloom in shock. Sure, Stella was a bit irresponsible and flaky, but she wouldn't put her grades at such high risk. Like Palladium had said, her grades were already dangerously low in his class.

"Well, we should tell her it wasn't that difficult" Flora suggested, "I passed it without much trouble at all."

"Yeah, you studied" Musa pointed out.

"Yes, Stella has been putting off studying for weeks now, even when Bloom got her an extra two weeks. She should be hiding out - the Magical Reality test requires real skill."

"You know what? She needs a magical reality check. I'm not leaving her room until she's learned every move, spell, and potion by heart." Bloom slammed open the door to Stella's room, not bothering to knock first. She found the room in complete disarray; it looked like a tornado had gone through. There were clothes scattered everywhere – on the bed, stairs, dresser, desk and floor; she didn't want to know what the mezzanine where Stella's closet was looked like. Stella, however, was nowhere in sight. "Stella! We need to talk."

"Are you looking for moi?" Stella's voice asked from behind her. Turning towards the blonde, who stood in the doorway to their dorm, Bloom took a breath. Seeing that Stella had spent the day playing in her closet made Bloom even angrier.

"Be honest, girls, how do you feel about this hairstyle?" Stella asked, flicking her long hair over her shoulder.

"Stella! You lied to us about being sick."

Stella moved past Bloom into her room and sat down in front of her vanity. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided she liked what Chrissie – the hairstylist she'd found in Magix last year – had done. She was not as good as Elisa, her stylist in Solaria, but she was still very good. She turned in her chair to face Bloom and the others, who had followed her into the room, "Have you ever had an oil treatment Bloom? It's like a facial for your hair."

"Are you listening to me? You lied to us and you skipped the test. You're failing this class, you know?"

Stella rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Apologies for the white lie. However, I had to miss the test. I had something far more important to do."

"And what could that be?" Flora asked.

Reaching into the drawer of her vanity, Stella pulled out a small pink flyer and handed it to the nearest girl, who just so happened to be Musa. The musical fairy looked at the flyer before looking up at Stella and saying: "seriously?" She passed the flyer over to Bloom who wore a confused expression – partially from Musa's reaction but mostly from the fact that Stella thought anything could be more important than passing the midterm of the class she would fail otherwise.

All she needed to know that Stella was out of her mind was to see the word 'pageant' written in big bold letters. "There's no way that a beauty pageant is more important than school."

"I knew you would say that. That's why I couldn't tell you."

"I just don't get it" Bloom replied, handing the flyer over to Flora and Tecna.

"I was the first runner-up last year. This year the crown is meant to be mine."

"That is ridiculous. Stella, how can you consider a beauty contest more important than school?" Tecna asked. She knew Stella was rather shallow – the princess made no effort to hide that – but to ignore your studies for it was a bit much.

"But it's not just about looks" Stella argued, "It's about grace and personality! And talent." She looked at the four girls who looked at her skeptically. Putting on her best puppy dog eyes, she got up and threw her arms around Bloom's neck. "Bloom, I really need your help with this. This is important to me, it's what I'm best at."

"Fine" Bloom replied shortly. "BUT! After this, you study."

"Yeah, if you don't pass this class Stella, they could kick you out" Flora added.

"Of course! If it's that important to you, I'll spend the next six million hours studying for you."

"You should study for yourself, not for us. We've already done the exam" Musa reminded her.

***

None of the girls had expected Magix Stadium to be as grand as it was – even Musa who'd home realm was the capital of the entertainment industry had been wowed. It was a modern building, built just a few years prior, and it was bigger than seemingly possible. The building was drenched in light, making it visible miles before they'd arrived. The plaza out front featured a giant fountain surrounded by more lights and the flag of Magix flew from the top of the fountain. A giant sign hung from the top of the building. The sign was the same shade of pink as the flyer Stella had shown them with a sash draped across it that read 'Miss Magix' and nothing more.

Several members of the staff were at the entrance where Stella presented herself as a competitor and the girls as her beauty team. They were escorted backstage where Stella and the other contestants were to prepare. The room was painted a neutral beige – a tad dull in Stella's opinion – with a large red couch and matching loveseat in the left corner. A vanity fully lit like Flora had only seen in the movies with a cushy-looking black stool took over the right side of the room, right beside a nearly empty clothes rack. The only think on it was a light pink dress.

Each contestant had her own room, something that made Stella like the Miss Magix pageant even more. She'd competed in quite a few during her early teens – never in Solaria as the judges might have crowned her simply because she was the princess and not because she deserved the win – and most only had a common area for the contestants to get ready, with changing rooms available for all. Magix Stadium was large enough to accommodate close to 40 dressing room, far more than enough for the 15 contestants of the Miss Magix competition.

Bloom, Musa, Flora and Tecna dropped their bags in the dressing room while Stella went to change into her opening outfit. Stella had loaded them up with so much stuff to bring: creams, lotions, make up, hair products, several pairs of shoes, outfit changes – including a heavy garment bag that contained her dress for the evening gown portion of the competition – and more.

Stella came out in a short, flared forest green skirt and a short-sleeved champagne top. She did a twirl, stopping to pose in front of the full-length mirror. "You like? I was thinking of this for the opening."

"Oh, cute!" Flora cooed.

"Stella, you have to wear the same outfit as everybody else."

"Yes, that is the rule."

Stella made a show of pouting and yanking the pink dress of its hanger for Bloom and Tecna before making her way back into the bathroom to change. Once she came out, Musa and Flora had fully set up the vanity with all the beauty products that Stella had packed. One of the advantages to Musa having princess training was that she had learned how to properly apply makeup and do hair – she just didn't care to apply any of that to her daily life.

Stella sat on the vanity stool as Musa began to do Stella's hair – they'd agreed on a high ponytail with curled ends and so much volume that you'd see the blonde's hair in another realm. As that was being done, Bloom conjured a chair to sit next to the blonde.

"So, Stella, what's the first thing you would do if you were crowned Miss Magix?" Bloom asked into an imaginary microphone, which she handed off to Stella.

"I would help underprivileged princesses. Mainly, what I'd like to -"

"What the fuck is an underprivileged princess?" (2) Musa interrupted.

"Princesses who aren't from rich realms, maybe they don't have -"

"Oh, fuck off with that crap" Musa interrupted once again, this time rolling her eyes with emphasis knowing that Stella could see her in the mirror. "Maybe try underprivileged people in general. No one is gonna like you if you tell them you'd like to help underprivileged rich people."

"Well that's just it, their realms are not rich."

"Sure, but they still are."

"Look Musa" Stella shouted, pulling her hair out of Musa's hands and turning on her chair to face the dark haired girl. "I am the contestant. Let me answer the question how I damn well please."

Musa glared at the blonde and crossed her arms. "I'm just trying to help" she snapped back. "Knowing you, I'm assuming you used the same answer when you lost last year –"

"I did. And I was first runner up!"

"Exactly! And you want to win this year, right? Well use something that doesn't make you seem like a fucking out of touch spoiled brat!"

"Would you two stop arguing?!" Bloom shouted, stepping between Musa and Stella. "Musa, your constructive criticism could be phrased a bit more constructively. Stella, Musa is right. Your answer does make you seem out of touch and spoiled."

Stella paused. She supposed she could pick another worthy cause to spend her time on once she won Miss Magix. She was about to ask if the girls had any helpful suggestions when a shrill cry came through their door.

"What the fuck is that sound?" Musa asked, blocking her ears. The fact that her hearing was much sharper than most people's was often a blessing, allowing her to eavesdrop on conversations, locate people and hear any comments muttered under one's breath. In fact, one of the main reasons Melodians were known to be very upfront was because they could not mutter during arguments since everyone had sonar hearing. Unfortunately, it was also a curse when it came to shrill, high pitched noises.

Bloom left the room to find the source of the sound. She didn't have to go far, coming face to face with two girls, one in the same dress as Stella and another in jeans and a t-shirt. The second girl was unsuccessfully trying to console her friend as Bloom walked up to them. "What happened?" she asked.

"She tried to cast a spell" the friend explained.

"But I got it wrong" the contestant – a beautiful dark-skinned girl with striking features replied in her painfully high pitched voice. "I said 'voice' instead of 'choice'. Maybe it's not that bad?" The girl looked up at her friend and Bloom hoping to get some reassurance. Unfortunately, this happened to be the moment that Stella, who -along with the rest of the girls minus Musa - had been listening to the conversation from the door, decided to say something.

The comment had been meant to be about the situation in general, but when Stella had said 'Gods, that's awful', the poor girl had taken it as a comment about her voice and ran off in tears. Stella, shocked by the outcome, had turned to follow her shouting that she hadn't meant it like that, but she'd been pulled back into the room by Musa who had cast a spell to block out all noise thus missing the conversation.

"Nice going, Stella" Bloom groaned as she closed the door behind her.

"I really didn't mean it like that. Do you think I should go apologise?"

"I don't think she's going to want to talk to you."

"Bloom's right" Flora said, "besides, we have to finish prepping you for the pageant."

***

"Welcome to the Miss Magix pageant, sponsored by Merlin's Magic Cosmetics. These young ladies will compete for the grand prize: a lifetime supply of Merlin's potions and lotions. We have one main rule: no magic, no charms, no spells, no incantations, no conjurations, no invocations, and no metamorphosis. Miss Magix will be chosen for her natural beauty; that means natural, not supernatural. And now our contestants. From near and far, you can see they don't need magic." The host, a tall, thin man with an exaggerated moustache, announced.

Musa, Flora and Tecna watched from a booth on the far right. None of them had ever watched a beauty pageant before – not that any of them had ever had much interest – so they were looking forward to seeing what all Stella's excitement was about. According to the program Tecna had gotten from ones of the hostesses, it would start with introductions, followed by the swimsuit competition, talent and finally evening gowns and questions.

"Number 1: Miss Loni"

A dark-skinned girl with sleek dark brown hair pulled up into an elegant high bun stepped onto the stage. She was followed by Miss Heidi, who's braided red hair and fair skin made her olive-green eyes pop.

"Number 3: Miss Lesta"

Lesta was a pale girl with dirty blond hair and nearly transluscent grey eyes; if she didn't have such a radiant smile, she would easily be considered plain. Number 4 - Miss Agween – was by far the most standout of the contestants. Not necessarily because she was the most beautiful, but because she hailed from an underwater realm. Her skin was a seafoam blue colour and she had shiny teal hair. Following Agween was Miss Bera. She had dark skin, much darker than Miss Loni's and dark chocolate brown eyes. While her red lips were very bright against her dark skin, her upbeat personality was what stood out the most; even in the introductions where she hadn't said or done anything other than wave, her good nature shone through her eyes and her smile.

When number 6, Miss Stella, was announced, a loud cheer could be heard coming from the right side of the room. Stella smiled wide knowing that her friends were cheering for her, though Musa's voice was the one that carried the most.

"Number 7: Miss Lee-Hona"

Miss Lee-Hona was a very pale girl, with short, curly red hair and glasses. Number 8, Miss Karen was a tan girl with light blond hair.

Musa felt her heart skip a beat when Karen walked on stage. She was a witch. She had been part of the crowd in Magix last month. Thanks to Flora, Musa's insomnia and nightmares had mostly subsided but every now and then, they would manage to slip through. Apparently tonight would be one of those nights Musa thought with dread. A light hand on her arm and Flora's voice asking if she was okay pulled Musa out of her fear-induced trance. "Yeah" she whispered to an unconvinced Flora.

"Number 9: Miss Sabatha"

Miss Sabatha had dark blue hair and dark blue eyes and, if it weren't for the fact that her hair was halfway down her back and she didn't have the same shape of eye, she could easily have been mistaken for Musa from far. Number 10, Miss Lucy, had long, almost floor length, dark purple hair and large green eyes. When the girl walked on the stage, the crowd went into a frenzy. Stella maintained her smile and fought down the urge to blast Lucy off the stage – the girl was ruining her chances of winning. If it weren't for her, Stella would easily be the most beautiful girl there.

Number 11, Miss Alyssa had short vibrant blue hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately, the poor girl looked like she had lost all confidence after Lucy's entrance. Number 12, Miss Jenny, had shoulder-length dark purple hair and an adorable round face. Unlike Alyssa, she didn't seem to be letting the audience's reaction to Lucy affect her.

"Number 13, Miss Ashanti"

Miss Ashanti had long, wavy dark brown hair in the same shade as her large eyes and just a shade darker than her skin. She walked out with the confidence of someone who'd been on stage a lot and Musa had a momentary thought that the girl would make an excellent performer if she could sing. Number 14, Miss Neoxis was the girl from the hallway. She smiled brightly as she walked on stage, but she was still clearly shaken by her spell misshap, though members of the audience may have mistaken that for nerves.

"And number 15: Miss Nadia"

Miss Nadia stood at the end of the line, the least remarkable of the girls. She had short black hair and small grey eyes and a common face.

"A warm round of applause for all our contestants!"

***

Bloom had stayed backstage to help Stella prepare for each segment. After the introduction, Stella and the rest of the contestants made their way backstage with the same feigned grace as when they'd walked on. As soon as Stella was backstage, she ran to Bloom's side and gripped the redhead's arms.

"Did you hear the audience's reaction when number 10 came out?! I'll never win!"

"Stella, it's just some silly contest" Bloom replied, prying the blonde's hands off her arms before they became bruised.

"To you, maybe. This is important to me."

"A beauty contest?" Bloom asked skeptically. Wasn't Stella the girl who, just a week ago, was telling her she was more than her looks? "You can't be serious."

"I am. I know you don't get it. You're wonderful in so many ways, but my looks are one of the only things I have going for me." Stella shook her head at Bloom and walked away. She should've known better than to think anyone would understand why this was so important to her.

Making her way through the backstage area, Bloom tried to think of what she would tell Stella when she got to the dressing room. The idea that Stella – bold, upbeat, supportive, friendly, funny Stella – thought that her only value was in her appearance was baffling to her. Stella needed to know there was more to her than looks – she had so much more to contribute to the world, even if she didn't think so. Bloom rounded the last corner into the hall where the dressing rooms were and ran headfirst into one of the contestants.

"Oh, hey. You're Lucy, right?" Bloom asked the girl that sat on the ground before her. "Congratulations, the audience seemed to really love you" she continued, pushing herself to her feet and offering a hand to Lucy. Lucy looked at Bloom with disdain, before getting up, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away, not once bothering to say a word to Bloom.

"Jesus, what a bitch."

***

Stella stood in front of the vanity in her yellow-gold one-piece swimsuit. She turned to the side and eyed her stomach. She'd been watching her figure carefully ever since she'd signed up. Sure, she's indulged a bit with Sky yesterday, but she'd spent two hours at the gym this morning; that more than made up for the burger she'd eaten last night. Just as Stella was deciding that she was satisfied with her appearance in the suit, Bloom came barging into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Bloom, please spare me whatever lecture you're about to give me."

"Screw that! You want to win this thing, we're going to win this thing" Bloom replied, forcing Stella onto the stool. She picked up the heated curling wand that Stella had left laying on the vanity'a counter and began curling Stella's hair into the perfect beachy waves.

Not a word was said the whole time Bloom was doing Stella's hair and once the redhead finally looked at Stella's reflection in the mirror, she could only laugh. Stella's face was still contorted into one of sheer confusion. "I ran into Lucy in the hallway – quite literally – and as I was offering a hand to help her up, I congratulated her since the audience seemed to really like her" Bloom explained.

"Okay…"

"Do you know what the bitch did? She looked at me like I was a week-old gym sock and walked away without saying a single word." Bloom imitated the look Lucy had given her and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That does not deserve to win the crown."

***

The swimsuit competition went by more or less without a hitch. Poor Ashanti chose a swimsuit with a plunging neckline and a rather unfortunate false move resulted in more of her being visible than she'd anticipated. Stella, though, was wonderful. Between the loosely curled blonde hair, the golden swimsuit and Stella's wide, radiant smile, the sun fairy seemed to glow.

Stella waited anxiously for the host to call her on for the talent portion of the pageant. So far, every single girl who'd gone on had been injured somehow.

Heidi, who'd done a gymnastics routine, had had her landing mat malfunction and send her flying. Agween, who's talent had been dancing, had slipped and fell. Lesta, a juggler, had been battered by her pins. Lee-Hona had been attacked by her doves. Sabatha was mauled by her dogs. Neoxis somehow became trapped in her juggling rings and Karen had fallen through the stage. In fact, the only girl who hadn't gotten injured was Jenny, and even she'd had her talent go wrong. Jenny, a classically trained vocalist, had opened her mouth to sing and instead of the beautiful melody she'd been expecting, a horrendous squawking sound had come out.

Somewhere around the fourth girl to get injured, Bloom had texted the others to come backstage as Stella was getting more and more nervous. Flora had tried to reassure Stella that she'd be okay, but the blonde had just started to spiral instead.

"What if I slip and fall like Agween? Or my boots start to grow so large that I can't do that dance properly and I fall over and roll off the stage?"

"Stella. Calm down. You've been doing this dance since you could walk – you've got this."

"You're right, Bloom. I can do this" Stella said, faking a calm confidence that she did not feel in the slightest.

Lucy was the last contestant up before Stella. The girls watched from the wings as the dark-haired girl performed a flawless ballet routine. She got up from her finishing position and waved to the crowd with a wide smile. Then, before she knew it, Stella was being announced.

"Oh, fuck. That's me" Stella whimpered.

"Yes, it is. Now go kick some ass" Musa laughed, pushing the blonde onto the stage.

Stella waved to the audience, putting on an air of confidence that she'd perfected over the years. Her father had taught her that, as the heir to the throne, she could never let her audience see her falter; to maintain their confidence in her, she had to be – or at least appear – confident in herself.

"Does anyone else find it suspicious that Lucy is the only contestant that hasn't had any misshaps?" Bloom asked as she watched Stella dance.

"Very much so" Tecna nodded.

"Yeah. It's super fucking suspect."

Stella knew the traditional dance of the Great Western Moon of Solaria better than she knew her measurements – which she knew by heart, so this performance should be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, her walk in the park seemed to involve falling lights and cracks appearing on the stage. Still, she simply danced around them. When a crack appeared, she jumped or changes directions. When a light fell, she simply twirled away from it. The beautiful thing about the dance was that it wasn't rigid like a waltz; you could move freely as long as you hit certain marks. The most difficult part, honestly, was keeping an eye out for falling lights and cracking floors while facing the audience as much as possible.

Stella took a bow once she'd finished her dance. She didn't exhale the breath she'd felt like she'd been holding in since Heidi had been thrown from her may until she was backstage, though. "Did you see that?" she shouted as Bloom dragged her back to the dressing room with the other girls in tow. "I almost fucking died like 6 times!"

Tecna rolled her eyes at the blonde's dramatics. "Stella, tripping over the cracks in the stage would not have killed you."

"That may be, but being crushed by a giant stage light probably would've done the trick" Musa chuckled.

"Musa" Flora scolded. "Could you try not to make her panic more? She's practically hyperventilating as it is."

"Chill, Flo. We'll get her in her dress all prettied up and she'll be so focused on how good she looks that she'll completely forget about almost being crushed to death."

***

Her dress was a one-of-a-kind Amber Lauren creation. It was a form fitting nude dress with a sweetheart neck and off-shoulder straps. It would seem to be a rather simple dress until light hit it and the gold flecks throughout would shine, making Stella appear to be emitting light. Lauren, a Solarian designer, had been Stella's go-to whenever she needed a special dress for something important. Grand balls, royal court appearances, diplomatic visits or any other event that Stella deemed important enough and Amber Lauren would be called to serve her princess.

As it happened, winning Miss Magix was something Stella had deemed important enough to call upon her. Having worked with Stella for a few years now, Lauren knew exactly what to do when Stella said she wanted to embody the sun. At first, Stella had been rather unimpressed – a nude dress is not what she'd had in mind – but when a spotlight had been flashed on the dress and Stella saw it light up, she instantly fell in love.

Now she stood in her dressing room, observing the plain dress in the mirror. Behind her, the girls observed the dress with confused smiles. It's not that Stella didn't look lovely – she always did – the dress was just… not very Stella. When the girls thought of Stella, it was bright and bold, not beige and plain.

Stella chuckled at her friends faces; she could tell they weren't convinced. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. Her mood had reset the instant she'd put the dress on, just as Musa had claimed it would. Now that she was feeling more like herself, she thought she might as well have a bit of fun.

"It fits you very nicely" Flora replied honestly. Leave it to Flora to find something to compliment even when she wasn't fond of the actual dress.

"Yes. And it seems to be made of very breathable material which will be helpful under the stage lights" Tecna added.

"I love the neckline" Bloom smiled.

Unsurprisingly, Musa seemed to be the only one that wasn't going to find something positive about it, choosing instead to be brutally honest. "It's a bit plain."

"It is, isn't it?" Stella laughed. To say that Stella's reaction had thrown the girls off was an understatement. The Stella they knew would have had a fit at Musa saying that her dress for a 'very important' contest was plain. Instead, she stood before them giggling away like a kid who'd just been told a funny joke.

"Is she broken?" Musa whispered to Tecna who simply shrugged in response.

"Just you wait" Stella smirked, "you'll love it when you see it."

"Stella, we're seeing it now" Musa replied flatly.

"You have n-"

A knock at the door interrupted Stella. One of the stagehands informed the blonde that she was to be in line for the evening wear category in two minutes. Stella graciously thanked the girl and made her way out the door. "Trust me, you've seen nothing

***

The five girls that had gone before Stella had looked wonderful – or as wonderful as one could look when they had injuries on random parts of their bodies. The worst of them was poor Heidi, who had come out on crutches after being thrown from her landing pad.

"And now, Miss Stella. Miss Stella is native to the Kingdom of Solaria and an only child. She has a passion for fashion and always tries to see the sunny side in life. Miss Stella's friends would describe her as outgoing and funny."

"Who did they get that information from?" Tecna mumbled from her spot on the right side of the auditorium. Musa snorted at Tecna's comment causing Bloom to laugh as well.

"Would you three be quiet?" Flora shushed. "Besides, Stella is outgoing and funny."

"Sometimes" Musa muttered.

"I am not saying she is not, I am simply asking for their sources."

The bickering continued for a few seconds more, much to Flora's dismay, until the blonde walked onto the stage and the girls were awed into silence. The way the light hit the plain nude dress was like staring into the sun, and Stella was pure radiance. In her awed stupor, Musa managed to snap a picture of Stella smiling out at the crowd. She texted the picture to Sky without a comment. He would know why she had sent.

"Miss Stella, what would you do if you won Miss Magix?"

"laitnetop lluf rieht esilaer slrig gnuoy pleh ot eb dluow laog ym" (3) Stella replied having taken to heart Musa's criticism. After some thought, Stella came to the conclusion that the musical fairy had been right, so she picked something that she wished someone had helped her with. Beyond being the perfect princess, she wished someone had helped her love herself and develop her passions, instead of having to learn those on her own. It was only when she looked at the host, proud of her answer, that her brain registered that she had spoken gibberish.

"What the fuck is happening?"

"I don't know Musa" Bloom responded, "but we need to fix it." With some quick thinking, Flora spelled the host to understand what Stella had said, who in turn explained it to the audience. Stella, still unsure of what was going on, smiled widely at the audience and said nothing else.

***

Once the evening gown and question period was over, the contestants were assembled on the stage. Most had some sort of injury or bandage, except Stella and Lucy, and Jenny who had only wounded her pride.

"What a, um, special evening we've had. Please give it up one more time for our lovely contestants."

Stella waited anxiously as the host announced last year's Miss Magix, Miss Callie, to help him crown the new winner. Callie, a perky brunette with big brown eyes, was beautiful there was no doubt about that, but Stella still thought she'd been robbed.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for... It's time for the results." The host paused for dramatic effect before opening the envelope that Callie had brought him. "Your second runner up is Miss Heidi!"

Heidi walked up to the front of the stage with the assistance of crutches. It was logical that she had won 3rd place as, besides her unfortunate landing, she is the only one besides Stella and Lucy whose talent portion went well.

Heidi graciously accepted her sash and small bouquet of flowers. Then, as she was about to turn around, she realised that she couldn't hold the bouquet and use the crutches, so she handed the flowers back to Callie and walked back to her place in line. The whole thing was rather awkward and clumsy, causing Musa to giggle and Flora to nudge her in the ribs.

"Your first runner up, and the person who shall take the crown if Miss Magix is unable to complete her duties, is..."

Stella held her breath in anticipation. It was down to her and Lucy; there was no way anyone else was winning. She remained positive, trying to will the universe into making her win. She so very much wanted to win. After her conversation with Sky last night and the knowledge that she was probably going to flunk her exam tomorrow, she needed a real win.

"Miss Stella"

Her heart sank. Second place again.

Instead of throwing a fit like she wanted to after once again being robbed of the crown, she smiled and graciously accepted the second-place sash and bouquet. She waved and smiled like she was supposed to, but she just felt like crying. Then, all the anger she'd felt at first had quickly dissipated into disappointment.

"Finally, your new Miss Magix is Miss Lucy!"

Lucy strode forward, her mermaid-style navy blue dress training behind her. She bore a wide grin and her eyes shone with joy. Once at the front, she gently bowed her head to accept the sash and crown, the smile never fading from her face. It seemed impossible, but this may have been more important to Lucy than it was to Stella. Then, as Callie went to hand Lucy the large bouquet, a dark purple smoke began to encircle the newly crowned Miss Magix.

Confusion ran through the room as the smoke became thicker and thicker until it covered Lucy entirely and not a single flash of skin, dress or hair could be made out. The host and Callie began to cough as the thick smoke invaded their space and all 14 other contestants took a step back.

From the audience, Musa, Bloom, Tecna and Flora watched in confusion. None said a word other than Musa who, as she had multiple times since coming to Alfea, mumbled 'what the fuck' under her breath.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the smoke disappeared, and Lucy was freed of her prison. Only, the girl that stood before them now was not the same one that had when the smoke had appeared. Instead, a rail-thin girl with greasy hair, eyes too large and features too pointy to be considered traditionally beautiful stood before them.

"She's an imposter" a member of the audience cried causing the rest to boo her.

Lucy, taken aback by shock and fear, ran offstage before the crown and sash could be stripped from her.

"Well then" the host muttered. "I guess that means that Miss Stella is our new Miss Magix!"

Stella wasted no time in stepping forward to claim her new title. A stagehand that had managed to apprehend Lucy brought out the sash and crown and handed them to Callie to crown Stella.

Stella bowed her head gracefully as the stagehand removed the sash she wore and Callie replaced it with the pink 'Miss Magix' sash. She looked up at the audience and gave them a big smile and a ladylike wave before taking the new bouquet from Callie.

***

Stella was the last to reach her dressing room after her crowning. She hadn't even had time to register that the other girls were there when she was attacked by Bloom who hugged her tightly and spun her around. "You did it!"

Stella laughed as Bloom twirled her around and more arms joined their hug. "I know! I couldn't have done it without you. But it would've been more of an even competition if most of the other girls hadn't gotten injured during the talent portion."

"Nah" Musa replied "watching you dance in cowboy boots was more entertaining than anything those other girls could've done."

"Are you making fun of the traditional dance of the Western Moon of Solaria?"

"A bit" Musa laughed.

Stella rolled her eyes and began repacking her bags. She shoved the makeup and brushes in without much care. She was still on such a high from her win and she didn't want to waste that energy on packing. Once she was done, she handed the bag over to Bloom, who rolled her eyes at the princess's unspoken demand, and picked up her phone. Stella could swear her heart had done backflips when she saw a text from Sky.

Sky: You look beautiful!

Attached to the text was a picture of her in her Amber Lauren dress. "How did Sky get a picture of me in my evening gown?" she asked the girls, figuring it had to be one of them – likely Musa. Stella made her suspicion known by staring Musa down.

"Guilty" the dark-haired fairy replied with a laugh. "I thought he'd like to see you looking all hot and shiny."

Stella rolled her eyes and chuckled; she couldn't complain that Musa had found a way to get Sky to tell her she was beautiful. She took a selfie of her in her crown and sash and sent it back to him along with a quick text that said: thanks :) I think it works best with the crown tho ;)

She smiled wide – wider than she had when she'd won the pageant when a reply came immediately.

Sky: You're the fashion expert, but I think you'd look beautiful in a paper bag :)

Musa felt an arm brush up against her and saw a flash of blonde. Before she knew it, a pair of arms were around her neck and Stella had pulled Musa into a hug. "Thank you" Stella whispered. Musa put her free arm around Stella's waist – her other arm was holding one of Stella's bags – and returned the hug.

"For what?" she laughed. It made no sense for Stella to thank her just for sending a picture – at least she didn't think so.

"I don't know, everything." And she meant it. Bloom may be her best friend, but Musa was the one that would assure her that Sky liked her – and actually be sure of what she was saying – and Musa was the one who'd helped her prepare most for the pageant. She'd even watched Stella do her dance about twelve times, pointing out any parts she thought could use improvement.

"So girls," Stella said, pulling away from Musa and turning to face the group as they exited the building, "What do you say we go out to celebrate my victory? Musa and I found this great club when we went out."

Bloom rolled her eyes and coughed sharply. She had intended for it to remind Stella of their deal – they help her with the pageant and she studies for her exam tomorrow. What ended up happening, however, was that Stella looked at her curiously and asked if she was coming down with a cold or if she had lost her voice.

"Did you lose your memory?" Bloom snapped back, "Remember our deal? We can't celebrate! If you don't get home and study, you'll fail the test."

Stella groaned dramatically and slowed her pace, going from leading the girls to trailing behind them. She hated studying.

***

The girls sat in Palladium's class completely exhausted. All of them had stayed up late helping Stella study. Flora had been the first to turn in somewhere around 1 am, Bloom had been the last at 3:30. Stella herself had gone to bed at just past 4, getting a measly 4 hours of sleep. And that was only because she had skipped breakfast.

"Stella! You're here!" Palladium said, after having depressed the class by announcing that two people had already failed. "Why don't we start with you?"

"Why don't we?" she replied dryly.

"I do hope you have prepared for this."

"I couldn't be readier, Professor."

"Oh! Very good" Palladium replied happily, either not catching or ignoring Stella's sarcasm. "As you know, the chamber will randomly select a dead planet and you do your best to survive."

Stella made her way into the chamber. As she opened the door, she caught Bloom giving her a thumbs up and nodded gratefully. She probably wouldn't have survived this far without Bloom – both in school and life. In fact, she probably would've been ogre food back on Earth if Bloom hadn't jumped in.

She stood on the platform and watched as her surroundings slowly changed. The landscape around her was barren – not a tree or shrub or even a blade of grass in sight. She pulled out a vial of growing potion – courtesy of Flora – and let a few drops fall to the ground. Uncertain that that was enough, she flipped the bottle over and poured the whole thing out.

A burst of rain and a whole lot of sunshine later, the ground around her became green and luscious. Stella smiled as she watched the planet come back to life. Maybe Flora was onto something with this whole 'loving nature' thing.

The grass grew quickly. Very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that within minutes Stella was up to her waist in grass. She yelled for it to stop growing but, grass being grass and not being able to hear or care about her instructions, it continued to grow until Stella was screaming for help and staring up at the grass that towered a few feet above her.

A bright light shone around her and soon Stella found herself back on the platform of the Magical Reality Chamber. She was wet from the grass and had blades and leaves stuck in her hair. As if being exhausted wasn't bad enough.

"Stella, what happened?" Palladium asked over the speaker.

"I might have overdone it with the potion" she replied sheepishly. She conjured a ray of sunshine to dry herself off and exited the Chamber to rejoin her class.

Palladium was waiting for her with a towel and hairbrush, which was surprisingly considerate for a professor that had left his student in a swamp. "Your strategy was promising. I can tell you studied. It's a shame it ended like that."

Stella felt her heart drop. "A shame?"

"The chamber will take your entire performance into consideration and then choose your grade."

One of the worst aspects of the Magical Reality Chamber exam was the grading. It was not Palladium, who was known for being rather understanding when students had trouble, but the chamber itself that did the grading. Then, once the chamber had graded you, it was announced in front of the whole class. That meant that, should you fail like Jessie and Olive had, it was announced in front of the whole class.

Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest and fly out of the room. She could not fail this class. Stella knew that she should have cared more about her studies, but school was just not an area she excelled in and focusing on her educational shortcomings depressed her.

"Alright Stella, the Chamber has graded you. Are you ready?"

"I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"

"No" Palladium replied matter-of-factly. "Here it is, Stella Saule (4), the Chamber has given you a 67."

"A 67? I passed?"

"That's right. You did."

Stella took her seat between Bloom and Flora, who sat next to Musa and Tecna. She breathed a sigh of relief. Palladium called up the next student, but Stella was so overcome with joy that she wasn't paying attention to the class anymore.

"We should celebrate!"

"What do we have to celebrate, Bloom?" Tecna asked seriously.

"Stella passed?" Musa replied.

"Barely."

"Stella studied hard, Tecna. You know school's not her thing" Flora countered.

"We all passed – we're celebrating all of us!"

"How about manicures and milkshakes?" Stella suggested with a small happy dance.

***

The girls sat at a table at a cheesy diner called 'Retro' just across from the boardwalk of the Jade River in East Magix. It was a tourist spot, using every single diner-like item of decoration that could be found – from the stuffed red pleather couches at the booths to the neon lights and the jukebox in the corner. But they also made some of the best milkshakes in the city.

"Musa, I've been meaning to ask: How was your date?"

Musa, who'd completely forgotten about ripping Stella's head off during the chaos of the pageant and the studying, glared at the blonde. She was about to unleash on Stella when Flora spoke. "What date?"

"The one Stella nagged you and Musa into agreeing to" Tecna informed her. "After Bloom came back from her walking date with Brandon."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"Yeah, well, Stella didn't" Musa grumbled. "The date was shit."

"What? But John is -"

"A complete dick."

Stella looked at Musa uncertainly. The John she'd known – a friend of an ex of hers – had always seemed sweet; eager to please.

"He talked about himself the whole time, barely let me get a word in, ordered for me and was a complete dick to the waitress. Oh, and best of all, went on a rant about how women only want to fuck jerks and not 'nice guys' like him. Why the fuck did you think I would like someone like that?" Musa's voice had risen to a point where she was drawing confused and annoyed looks from the other customers, though the dark-haired girl didn't seem to care. Instead, she glared at Stella, waiting to see what the blonde had as an excuse.

"I'm so sorry" Stella replied honestly. "I didn't know he was a jerk. He's a good-looking guy, good family, smart, well-educated and every time I'd met him, he seemed nice. I just thought you deserved a good guy after..." Stella trailed off, not wanting to bring up Riven as that would be a whole other thing. "I just wanted you to be happy."

Musa sighed in frustration. She was pissed that Stella had set her with a jerk, but her motive did seem to be genuine. "Maybe just vet them better, next time" she replied sharply.

Stella nodded quickly, happy that Musa was apparently okay with her trying to set her up again. At least, until the musical fairy said: "Actually, no. Fuck that. Don't set me up again."

"Can I also request that you not set me up?" Flora asked meekly. The brunette had slid down in her seat, preparing for Stella to get loud.

"Oh come on! It was one screw up! I promise I'm a good matchmaker. I introduced Bloom and Brandon, didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah. By accident. You were trying to convince me to come to Alfea, not trying to set me up."

"You don't know that. Maybe I knew you'd have a thing for Brandon."

"Mhm. And what if I had developed a crush on Sky instead?"

Stella grumbled incoherently at that. She knew when to accept defeat, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"Speaking of Sky" Musa said slyly. "He told me something about you randomly showing up at his dorm."

"Uh… yeah" Stella laughed.

"Wow, you and Sky are getting pretty close" Bloom commented. She didn't know what Musa and Sky's relationship was like, but if Musa was trying to get in the way of Stella and Sky getting together, Bloom might have to step in. She'd had a friend on Earth – Jessica – who's sister had started dating the guy she liked and it had been a disaster. There was little peace in their house for months after that, and Jessica and her sister had both been mild mannered girls. With Musa and Stella, it would be apocalyptic in their dorm.

"Yeah. He's great" Musa told her. "But he's not my type –"

"Yeah, he's too nice" Stella joked, earning an elbow to the rib from Musa.

"We're friends" Musa continued, ignoring Stella's protests that she had only been joking. "I see him as more of a brother than anything."

"Okay. Cause you know that if you get in the way of him and Stella getting together and eventually having the most attractive babies ever, I might have to murder you" Bloom laughed.

"We would have beautiful babies, huh?" Stella said dreamily.

"So, why were you at his dorm?" Flora asked.

Stella explained to them that she had gone to finally figure out what was happening between them – that she knew he liked her, and she wanted to know why he wasn't acting on it. When she told them that they'd spent the evening cuddling and watching a movie, the girls awed happily.

Tecna felt a hand squeeze hers under the table and looked over to Musa who sat beside her. The two shared a knowing look; Musa was happy for Stella – like she had been for Bloom when she and Brandon had gone on their walking date two weeks prior – but there was jealousy and sadness too. Tecna felt something similar, though she probably couldn't have identified it if she'd been asked to.

The rest of the evening was spent drinking milkshakes and talking about what their mid-year break consisted of. Tecna didn't have any special plans, she would go home and see her parents, but that was it. Musa's best friend was joining her in Magix and they were going to hang out here. Flora had plans with her family and best friend. Bloom was going to enjoy being back on Earth where things were 'normal', and Stella was going to try not to go insane dealing with her parents, though she did have a ball to look forward to.

The next week would consist of one or two more mid-terms; one was the Ethics exam so it should be easy and the other was the first aid exam that only Bloom, Flora and Musa would be taking. After that, they would be school free for a whole week, though not all of them were looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I don't know if any of yous have ever worked in a restaurant but lemme tell you, carrying a tray filled with glasses ain't easy.
> 
> (2) Seriously.
> 
> (3) My goal would be to help young girls realise their full potential
> 
> (4) solar goddess in Baltic Mythology


End file.
